Ms Bunny Sen

been buggering around this goddamn city 
for godknowshowlong – 
feels like a thousand bloody years, 
no kidding; 
from bongshal's rancid restaurants 
to gulshan's toxic lake 
I've trod every effing inch 
& on pitch‑dark nights 
of power outages as well. 
i've been in burra kuttra 
in grey twilight 
& in distant rayerbazar 
in moonless dark, 
& all for what 
i ask you­ – 
a few bloody takas 
for which i have to shout 
myself hoarse 
tutoring the unteachable 
scions of nouveau riche swine 
swimming in champagne bubbles, 
i feel absobloodylutely 
knackered, i tell you, 
just couldn't go on 
if it weren't for a few moments 
with ms bunny sen 
of banglamotor.

o her hair is like the dark sky 
above sangsad bhaban 
& her face is just 
like aishwairiya's. 
imagine a sailor 
adrift on a wreck 
suddenly coming upon 
a green island 
smelling of rich spices – 
­that's how i felt when she came 
and sat across the table 
in a dimly-lit fast food joint, 
spreading the musky scent
of allure (from chanel); 
whatsup? she said 
raising those gorgeously 
made‑up eyes 
like exotic bird's nests – 
­i could just curl up 
inside them 
and happily 
die.

when day goes kaput 
the dark sneaks in 
like silent dew; 
buzzards wipe the smell 
of sun off filthy wings; 
colour seeps out of everything. 
in faraway hamlets 
glowing fireflies announce 
it's storytelling hour; 
time to take pen and paper 
out of the jammed drawer 
& do my daily 
creative writing act –  
­tho' godaloneknows
to what bloody end. 
the birds come home to roost, 
the bleeding rivers end where they began, 
life's wheeling & dealing 
can't go on forever; it's all 
dark, dark, dark 
but for the tete‑a‑tete 
with ms bunny sen of banglarnotor.

Kaiser Haq has just retired as professor of English from the University of Dhaka; he is currently the Dean of Humanities at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, and a poet and translator.