That Time

Srabon wrote its
Story on your body
--that taste I haven't forgotten
Avoiding the eyes of enemy soldiers
You came
Crossing three streets
Wet from the rain
--I haven't forgotten
The time was of war
Curfew on all sides
We by joining the pack
Of fools, idiots and jesters
Instead of heeding the
Message of knowing ones
Took up arms
--I haven't forgotten
Grief and sound-wracked
Came independence, peace,
Came war-ending fatigue
Didn't I then
Tell you, "Apsara*
"Only your belongings
"Your face's grace
And yet you evaded my grasp
--I haven't forgotten.

*In Hindu mythology a celestial nymph.
Shahid Quadri lives in New York.