Bhuwan Thapaliya

Bhuwan Thapaliya

A cornucopia of shallow smiles

and the concealed tears

in the bustling lanes

of the Asan and Idrachowk bazaars

could metamorphose into a poem,

and my poem could develop

from roadside flowers and trees

or a face on the street,

and also from an exquisite Persian carpet

mounted on the wooden floor

or from a pastoral folk song.

It could develop from vine maples

dressed in autumn hues

or from an Aboriginal painting from Perth.

It could develop from a low Italian lamp

and Belgian rug, or wall-mounted intricate brass mirrors.

It could develop from Nepalese thangkas

or a stunning Buddha in gold leaf

reclining on the altar table.

It could spring to life from the Nava Durga Dance

or the famous Khame Jatra of Bhaktapur.

It could irrigate itself from the hope

of Danuwar women in Kavre

as they prepare to spread

animal fertilizer on their dry fields

and it could color itself

while looking at elders

in the remote village of Nepal

painting their houses

with white and red earth,

purifying the floors by smearing them

with a mixture of mud and cow dung paste.

It could mature while mixing a salad,

dabbling in my favorite Italian cuisine,

or having black tea and a hard-boiled eggs

in the roadside teashop near Subidhanagar.

It could also erupt from anywhere,

my grey beard

and taper into a square nook

between tall plants.

And yes, it could ripen

while gazing at a little mole

on your right thigh.

A sunflower seed,

on the forehead of joy.

(Bhuwan Thapaliya is the author of four poetry collections. His poems have been widely published in international magazines and journals such as Kritya, Foundling Review, FOLLY, WordCity Monthly, Poetry and Covid: A Project funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, University of Plymouth, and Nottingham Trent University, Life in Quarantine: Witnessing Global Pandemic initiative sponsored by the Poetic Media Lab and the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis at Stanford university, Trouvaille Review, Journal of Expressive Writing, International Human Rights Arts Festival( ihraf.org), Pendemics Literary Journal, Pandemic Magazine, The Poet, Valient Scribe, Strong Verse, Ponder Savant, International Times, Taj Mahal Review, Poetry Life and Times, VOICES (Education Project), Longfellow Literary Project, Poets Against the War, among many others.)