The Shirt Button original(Assamese) : Preetima Changmai translated By: Bibekananda Choudhury Poem by Preetima Changmai

THE SHIRT BUTTON

The button got severed
And fell on the eavestrough
At the point pushing the bicycle out to go to school
Said to mother "Getting late, give me a pin"
Exposing her bosom
Taking out a pin from the blouse
Mother covered the exposed chest of father
Leaning on the cycle resting the chin on the chest
Father gazed at mother
Lets it pricks his chest!
Giving a disapproving look at father
Mother stepped away
Let he pulls her in a tight hug to his bosom

Mother picked the grass blades to search for the button
The shirt wouldn't look nice if the button do not match
Yet so many things run without matching
In cleaning the cowshed, watering the vegetables, mending a broken fencing with a new bamboo sticks
Father always in a hurry, mother too busy
Father continued his school visit with the pin pinned to his shirt
Father suddenly suffered a pressure stroke
Could not go to school any more
He was set to fire with the pin at his chest

The button lay put with care
In the old vermilion case
Laying at the corner of the wooden cupboard
The white button turned rosy
Smeared with the vermilion in the case
Ma does not allow to throw the button away
Do not touch it herself either
"Keep the cover shut properly"

Now Ma too forgot many things
Even our names
Just says sometimes
"Oh! I didn't stitch the button to the shirt"
So much repentance
So much complaint
We too keep the cover of the case shut.