On terra firma I seek your address.
The heart is molten with receiving. 
No one knows what metal it is
but on Time’s chosen land
it wants to pay its dues —
return ray to sun
laughter to child
colour to flower
dew to grass.
It wants to return
thirst to water
water to river
river to cloud
cloud to sky
and when twilight comes
to return dust to star
that shines afar like truth.
The heart is heavy with carrying.
It yearns to return desire to life
love to poems
poems to leaves
dreams to eyes
eyes to sleep
holding only to a memory
of how things began.

…

Basudhara Roy teaches English at Karim City College affiliated to Kolhan University, Chaibasa. Drawn to themes of gender and ecology, her four published books include a monograph and three poetry collections, the latest being Inhabiting. She loves, rebels, writes and reviews from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.