Poetry

  Translated from Malayalam by Ra Sh    Gummy soil Always always it sticks to the spade. Most of my time is spent in scraping it off with a stick. Whenever the landlord comes he...

     A Shirt* I was reluctant, brother, to say: “This summer vacation Get me a shirt from a city.” Lest it shouldn’t be A command or a demand Of a younger...

    Intensive Care Unit Blues  …Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter, I am no prophet — and here’s no...

  Translated from Malayalam by the Poet   Sculpting  A sculptor’s chisel carves an image in the breeze that carries the scent of wildflowers. A boatman’s paddle, dark as night, carves a...

  Translated from Malayalam by Ra Sh   The Waiting Yesterday’s rain has some questions for you. Can anyone enjoy the rain as much as a man who sleeps on...

    The Only FableThey stop by your window during your afternoon naps. Weren't you watching as you pushed your forehead onto the sill, letting the sleeping one...

  Photography By Youngho Kang   1. throbbing dawn . . . everything becomes something else  2. when every sheath is torn from us . . . what then?  3. before the filthy birth of Time ....

   The Odd One One team won all the odd sets, the other team won all the even sets, but in a game of the best out of five sets, there was...

  Translated from Malayalam by Ra Sh   Shifting house When the neighbouring home was demolished the Gods leapt out first and took their seats in the jeep. The aged ones...

    Apple tree There is an apple tree, old and gnarled At the bottom of my garden, again in bloom On which in childhood my brother and...