Shobhana Kumar

i it is iwho has come this fari who has transformedmy worldfrom the dream it wasto the dream it is.iwho has needed littleelse butwilland gutsand sweat. but you have your mother’s eyes,father’s heart,grandfather’s stubbornnessand your aunt’s attitude. but with these, grandson,you also havethe milk from a thousand cows,grains from countless fieldsand the blood of unknownsoldiers of sweatrunning in your veins. yes, you. me?who am i then? home every night,the banyan treebecame our home,between its rootswe tied mother’sold saree,and lulled our little one to sleep.on its leaveswe spread our meagre mealsand allotted spacesfor ourselvesamid itsconvoluted crevices. one day, we travelleda little farther thaneverydayand came back toflat,levelled ground. the crow’s nest lay broken. Shobhana Kumar's first collection, 'The Voices Never Stop' was published by Writers Workshop in 2012. Her second collection titled, '*conditions apply' is under print. Her work features in several journals and 'The Dance of the Peacock', an anthology of contemporary poetry from India, edited by Dr. Vivekanand Jha. She also has 4 books of non fiction.