Special Edition: Sk Amimon Islam

Sk Amimon Islam

Quiet Strength

1. Scar Metal

I was broken

not in silence,

but in storms.

Yet I stand still,

not clean, not smooth,

but shining with fight.

I‘m not a statue.

I am a Survivor.

***

2. Memory Holds Me

This shape you see, 

it holds old fire,

a burnt prayer,

some heavy days.

But look again,

the cracks are soft,

the pain is gold,

and I am whole

(in my way).

***

3. Not the End

People think that

damage is the end.

It is not. 

It is a second name.

I carry it, always,

like shadow in light.

I’m not defeated.

I’m just changed.

***

Bio: Sk Amimon Islam is a postgraduate in English and a member of the Indian Association for the Study of Australia (ER). A bilingual poet writing in both Bengali and English, his Bengali poetry collection Shukno Paatar Rongin Ghuri was published in 2023. He has presented and published several research papers in reputed journals and edited volumes, and is committed to building a research-focused academic career. He was honoured with the “Best Student’s Paper Award” at both the 11th and 12th IASA conferences. He was also invited to deliver a talk at the CRP, Bankura University.

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Setu, June 2025

Sk Amimon Islam (Women and Spring)

Sk Amimon Islam

Lady of Bawshonto

As the streets are adorned with vibrant hues,
It’s Dol[1], known as Holi[2], the festival of colors.
Like the Red and Yellow Palash[3] trees in bloom,
A girl wears Yellow Abir[4] on her cheeks,
Red vermillion adorns her forehead.
Her white saree[5] transforms into a spectrum,
And her smile, transcending all colors,
Turns the world monochrome. She is Bawshonto[6].

***

 

Man of Burden

Bawshonto, impartial, crosses the threshold of the Poor,
The girl, embodying Spring (Bawshonto),
Chooses a hand-drawn rickshaw for her journey home.
Yet for the rickshaw-wala[7],
This moment is not just Spring, but also Summer’s heat.
His earnings, akin to the bloom of Spring,
While his sweat mirrors the Summer’s heat.
Still, Kolkata plays, “Bawshonto ese geche.”[8]

***

Bio: Sk Amimon Islam is a bilingual poet. His book Shukno Paatar Rongin Ghuri a collection of Bengali Poems has been published at Kolkata International Book Fair 2023. Additionally, his poems feature in the anthology Firth – A Consortium of English Poets. Beyond his literary pursuits, he has received the prestigious Routledge Best Student’s Paper Award in 2023 and 2024.

***

[1] Bengali festival of colours, celebrated in the Spring to glorify the metaphysical love of Lord Krishna and Radha.

[2] Indian festival of colours, celebrated in the Spring to glorify the metaphysical love of Lord Krishna and Radha.

[3] Butea monosperma.

[4] A coloured powder which the Bengalis sprinkle over during the Spring to celebrate the Holi festival.

[5] A dress consisting of a very long piece of cloth wrapped around the body, worn especially by South Asian women.

[6] Spring.

[7] Rickshaw puller.

[8] A famous Bengali song by Anupam Roy, meaning, The Spring has arrived.

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Setu, March 2024