Manushyaputhran( S. Abdul Hameed)
Tamil Life
TAMIL
The doorbells
don’t work
but no one goes away.
These one-and-a-half years
with no latch on the bathroom door
have endangered
no one’s privacy.
The broken leg of this chair
will not insult a guest,
only slightly imbalance him.
I have been travelling
in this god-protected city
in a vehicle without brakes
for a week.
That pain
at the base of the stomach,
somewhere to the left,
comes often these days.
If I sleep at a particular angle for a while
I can manage.
There is a lot
to be set right
everywhere.
Even so,
uncomplicated
is Tamil life.

Close to My Heart
URDU
Tarannum Riyaz
Your hockey stick, your computer
are both silent in your room
your bed utterly smooth, not a wrinkle
your table neat and orderly, every thing in place
and on the floor, in a corner, a pair of sandals,
undisturbed, dumb
For the sake of your future
I somehow forced myself to send you away
but right from the day you left
this lonely heart, these anguished eyes
have been pining for your return
Oh, come, do come
and turn everything upside down again in this orderly room
turn on the music as high and loud as you like
create whatever rumpus you will
but let me feel your presence in the house
I shall hold you close to my heart
and never scold you again