Wall Poem by Kanishka SricharanPratap

Brahma Vishnu Maheswar
I had written here,
A B C D...
And other lessons
My first lessons
On this wall.

Also my brother!

Tree, cow, sheep, bird
House, hill and river
I had drawn so many pictures,
Here
On this wall.

Also my brother!

Small songs of childhood
We had written together,
Here
On this wall!

My mother and my sister
Had drawn sacred earthen pot
Green coconut
Mango branches
Paddy, flowers
Sahnai, fortune conch
And other wedding pictures
Of my brother,
And of mine
On this wall!

Now that wall is not there,
The earthen wall!

We have built
A new wall
Of bricks and metals
Among us!


Translated from Odia by
Subash Mohapatra