Abeer Khaling
A kid is missing from the village.
He used to giggle like Christmas flower
standing on the edge of field.
Till yesterday
he was playing ammal-dammal with friends
on the green grassy field,
running along the village path
with firfire of green leaf in his hand,
playing dandibiyo,
his face streaming with sweat.
At the narrow bend of the path
he, with running nose,
would wait for his mother
gone to the market to barter her sufferings.
Running the wheel of metal ring
or making the rag-doll dance
he’d innocently revel in his golden childhood.
He laughed like the moon
and his cuteness bloomed with marigold.
His frivolity ran with cascade of spring water.
His innocence stood with maize plant.
But where is he gone today?
Discovering the bird’s nest,
he would be one with the fledglings,
play hide-and-seek all day long
and sleep a Buddha at night.
Playing the game of gheggeraani,
he acted a queen
and sometimes, turned into water.
But where has he disappeared today?
Beaten by the relentless words
and persecuted by his parents’ dream,
he has gone missing today
along with his tender moments
and silk cotton-like soft times.
Sir, on the wall of your concrete heart
I am sticking this bill
about the missing kid.
*
ammal-dammal = a kind of chance-game played freehand by the children.
firfire = a kind of children’s plaything made of a leaf with a hole at the centre for a piece of twig which is held with index finger and thumb to make it go spinning while the holder of it goes running. dandibiyo = a kind of children’s game played with a stick.
gheggerani = a kind of children’s game played in group.
Translated by Manprasad Subba
