Biphu Padhi

A Bird About to Fly Away It is noontimein the ancient town and a bird has decided tofly upward and beyond, against all our decisionsand assumptions. It knows where to go to. Beyond its small nest, all acrossthe sky until it is night. Our bodies remain below—half-delighted, half-shocked. The long future settles downover the dumb valleyof death and coronation. Mind, BewareFor Milmun Mind, watch yourselfcarefully. Memories are a crisscross of shame,guilt, and disappointments, of all those sins in default.Mind: Mind your steps. Anytime, you might betricked by memories. Mind: Watch yourselfcarefully, with the heart’s nightly, ancient intensities.Remember? Memories! Bibhu Padhi's seventh book of poems, Migratory Days: A Travel Diary in Verse, was published in 2011. His work has appeared in numerous magazines in India, USA, Canada and UK. It has been included in several anthologies, the most recent being The HarperCollins Book of English Poetry (2012).