Thorn Poem by MOLOY BHATTACHARYA

A thorn stuck into the throat
Not to be swallowed
Or taken out.


The thorn is life.


I too wish to be a lover
Who I fancy.

I too wish to be a worshiper
To her temple
Who I revere as Goddess.

I too wish to settle down
Wherever my heart craves for
In this beautiful earth.

But when I gulp, I feel
A thorn stuck into the throat.


The thorn is low caste.

(Note: The poem is based and inspired from a Bengali poem of the same title by Prof.Mahitosh Mandal, Dept of English, Presidency University, Kolkata)