“Eyes” and “The Sound of a River Sobbing”

Written by Shahed Kayes
Photograph by Ben Robins

Eyes

The train is speeding
through the deep forest
in the full moonlit night.

Clouds of pain rushing out of her eyes
she is in deep thought…

Can peace be found without justice?
Can anybody make the hated fear into love?
Her eyes have stopped at a certain point.

The Sound of a River Sobbing

It was the place where
the fallen sun sleeps…
at a quite tiny island
they say, the “land of affection!”
where the fisherfolk used to live
with love, honor, and happiness

Now this is a sad story from the past
There is no land at all
The whole island is now the river

If you enter into a mood of complete silence
you can listen to the sound of a river sobbing!

The Author
Shahed Kayes is a poet and human rights activist from Bangladesh. He has published three volumes of poetry in Bengali and edited an anthology of Bengali love poems. He has also produced one book in English entitled Laureates of Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Award: Who Really They Are? At present, he is pursuing an MA in human rights at Chonnam National University in Gwangju.