A River
SHARIF Sathi
Chuadanga, Bangladesh
I crossed a river once
With my father, effortlessly in childhood,
Rowing a boat to the riverbank,
I saw dewdrops smile on the grass.
Boatmen, fishermen, shepherd boys,
Cormorants, ducks, flocks of herons abound,
Amidst the ebb and flow of waves,
I rowed freely, no restrictions around.
That same river now, for me,
I cross whimsically, whenever I please,
With iron, cement, and bricks,
The bridge lets me pass with ease.
But now the river’s hollow heart
No longer sways with lilies like before,
No village brides carrying pitchers,
No children swimming, playing by the shore.