boots, smelling of here and there, long roads, unending hours

motel beds and sullied skin, roughage along rugged cheekbones

harsh winter, seasons on turn, fireplace or heartburn, calm water-blue eyes

oregano flavoured evenings, albatross wings, words exchanged in hello or goodbye

one closed door after the other, new room, unkempt future, checked bills

half-eaten dinner for rats, tips on a desolate corner table, future sunrise

ignition key on the move, tyres screech release, to a new dream, new flag down

through untold stories, haunted myths or chinese- whisper, shadows live on

Born and brought up in Kolkata, India with parents having an intense interest in literature, Raja Chakraborty grew up in ambient surroundings. Chakraborty is a bilingual poet writing in Bengali and English. To date he has published five books of English poems, and six books of Bengali poems/rhymes. He is also a regular contributor to magazines and anthologies.