Poetry Offerings from Mukul Dahal | Poem

 

THE ASSEMBLY OF VOICES

Among the voices

soft, sonorous,

hoarse and high pitched,

that have come out

breaking apart the gigantic cement walls,

I know my voice is also present.
 
 

The voice of the creek running down the hills

is mumbling away.

The voices of the mighty vehicles on the road

are elbowing each other.

The voice of the airplane high in the sky

is proud of its height.

The voice of the factory machine

is jabbering something loud.
 
 

Melody of the chirping birds,

animals' voices

the shrill voices of cicadas at night

are present like charming dames.
 
 

At the assembly,

present are also the subtle voices

arisen out of the tiny motion from the rest.
 
 

Bellyful content voices,

hungry, shrunken voices,

and timeless voices of art too

have taken their places.
 
 

At the assembly of voices,

some loud voices are surging like waves.
 
 

I know my voice is also among them.

But I am struggling desperately

to know

which one is my voice?

Which one is my own voice?
 
 

Touch of a  Fragrance
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Touch of a  Fragrance

While crossing the road

a castle of  fragrance runs into me.

Fragrance

of a flower

or a perfume

or an incense.
 
 

All conscious nuances

of consciousness are dulled

as if by hashish

or opium.
 
 

And I slip into

its intoxication.
 
 

This bit of time,

chipped by

the sharp edge of the fragrance,

seems more meaningful

and mightier

than the sand bed of entire century.
 
 

short autobio

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

I was born in 1969 in Jhapa, a district in Eastern Nepal that borders with India. I was brought up there and did my schooling in an ordinary school. I lost my father when I was 4. Later I moved to Kathmandu, the capital city,  for a course of studies in the college. In Kathmandu I became associated with various literary activities including; Editing of a literary bimonthly Chintan; followed by a literary English monthly Nepal Letters. I have been writing poetry for twenty years and have published; a volume of my poems called "Seemaateet Seemaanta" (A Frontier Beyond Frontiers). Currently I stay in Itahari, an emerging town in Eastern Nepal.
I earn my leaving by teaching and as editor for "Pen Himalaya". I devote my spare time to editing and poetry. I belong to the new generation of contemporary Nepali poets who are struggling to make their mark by trying to break away from the literary trends stablished by the generation of poets who came before the 90's.

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