On a Platform

Death will not arrive easily
First a gas cylinder has to arrive

Difficult time will arrive
which will wear out the shoes
tear the shirts
puncture the bicycles

Kalka Mail is yet to arrive
It’s two and a half hours late,
said a man smoking cigarettes.

Delhi’s Poets.

Some old words have entered
that are no longer popular
some emotions have entered
it’s still a little uncut

Despite many attempts
Poetry could not hide
A weak life
Torn clothes, shoe soles

Empathy must come
But it must not resemble empathy
Pigeon must not become a symbol
These were the lessons from Delhi’s poets
I thought that the train that brought me to Delhi
Also returns.

New Delhi’s poets!
Even if it looks weak
I will not change my poetry.

…

Krishna Kalpit, born in 1957, is a renowned poet in Hindi. He has written six books of poetry and one book on media criticism. He has a collection of prose-poems titled Hindnama forthcoming this summer from Rajkamal Prakashan.