The low ceiling is studded with
strawberries.
Small red and yellow flowers
on their shrub-like branches
brighten the room like the sun.
I shut my eyes for a second and open.
A plateful of fruits and berries
shine and blind my eyes,
as if it was something
to be only given away to someone
who lost his eyes in a storm
but knows his touch and smell
on this placid October day.
~Bibhu Padhi
Bibhu Padhi’s poems have appeared in distinguished magazines throughout the world, such as Indian Literature, Contemporary Review, Poetry Review, Poetry Wales, The Rialto, Stand, The New Criterion, Poetry, TriQuarterly, Antigonish Review and Queen’s Quarterly. They have been included in several anthologies, the most recent being The HarperCollins Book of English Poetry (2012). His seventh book of poetry, Migratory Days, was published last year.