A different Shore (for Leonard Cohen) by Amlanjyoti Goswami

A different shore

(for Leonard Cohen)

Hum those perfect words of song
In your body.
Till they come, hum,
You are all there is.

The perfect words breathe a demon
In your heart
You are all there is.

Later, seek, the kindness
Of those who believe
In feeling – imperfect –

The twisted turns of leaves
Jagged in the storm…

The unfinished house, standing on four stilted feet,
The jar without a cover –
Marking your bones.

Things don’t quite add up
Yet you go searching – the hunt
for perfect feelings, words, deeds.
You are sure – you won’t be
Disappointed – or –
Appointed.

A new leaf turns up
At your door
You flutter your wings.
Window a morning opening.
Finally, find the calm
Becoming,
More humane.

You have left seeking
A different shore…

 

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AMLANJYOTI GOSWAMI’s poems have appeared in publications in India, Nepal, the UK, Hong Kong, South Africa, Kenya and the USA, including the recent Forty under Forty: An Anthology of Post-Globalisation Poetry (Poetrywala, 2016). He grew up in Guwahati, Assam and lives in Delhi.

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