Banyan
by Sudeep Sen
As winter secrets
melt
melt
with the purple
sun,
sun,
what is revealed
is electric —
is electric —
notes tune
unknown scales,
unknown scales,
syntax alters
tongues,
tongues,
terracotta melts
white,
white,
banyan ribbons
into armatures
into armatures
as branch-roots
twist, meeting
twist, meeting
soil in a circle.
Circuits
Circuits
glazed
under cloth
under cloth
carry
alphabets
alphabets
for a calligrapher’s
nib
nib
italicised
in invisible ink,
in invisible ink,
letters never
posted,
posted,
cartographer’s
map, uncharted —
map, uncharted —
as phrases fold
so do veils.
***
so do veils.
***
nada nada
skala yang tidak diketahui,
sintaks berubah
bahasa lidah,
terakota meleleh
putih,
pita beringin
ke dalam armatures
sebagai akar-cabang
twist, meeting
tanah dalam lingkaran
Sirkuit
sayu
di bawah kain
membawa
huruf
untuk kaligrafi itu
ujung pena
dicetak miring
dalam tinta tak terlihat,
surat tidak pernah
diposting,
kartografer
peta, belum dipetakan -
seperti frasa lipat
begitu juga cadar.