The Grass Puppet Poem by Pradip Saikia

The grass puppet dances at the movement of your fingertips
At the movement of your fingertips

It is the lightning
That strikes frequently

It wails splitting the sky into two

The quiver is emptied in the chase of the golden deer

Drawing the sign of fatigue on the sole
Returns

Returns
The grass puppet

It has been seven days and seven nights
That the birds have not been airborne
But the sun

Amazing
The tongue burns up in hunger of this creature
Song waivers in the dumb voice

The night giraffe waits
Stretching its neck towards the sun

O grass puppet, O grass puppet

The heaven is rocking by the song of the danseuse
The grass fire is receding
Silent insects of the night

# Translated from Assamese to English by: Bibekananda Chowdhury