An Unverifiable Theorem

Touch Mangalesh Dabral Touchthethings that arekept onthetableinfront ofyou Clockpen-stand anoldletter IdolofBuddhaBertolt Brecht andCheGuevara's photos Openthedrawer andtouch itsoldsadness Toucha blanksheet ofpaperwith thewords'fingers Touchlikea pebblethestill water ofa VanGoghpainting Starting life's hullabaloo init Touchyour forehead andholditfor a longwhilewithout feeling shame Totouch itisn't necessary for someone tositclose From very far itispossible totouch even Likea birdfrom a distance whokeepshereggsprotected "Pleasedonottouch" or"Touching isprohibited" don'tbelieve insuchphrases Thesearelong-running conspiracies Religious-gurus holding flags wearing crowns andshawls Bomb-throwers, war-raisers indulge infor keeping usapart Themore dirt themore wastethey spit Onlybytouch canthey becleansed Touchyoumust eventhough itturns things topsy-turvy Don'ttouch thewaygodspriests bigots devotees disciples Toucheachothers' feet andheads Rather touch thewaythetallgrassappearstocaressthemoonandstars Goinward feel themoist spottouch Seeifitstill remains there ornotinthese ruthless times. Translation from theHindi BySudeepSen MangaleshDabral (b.1948, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarkhand), a Hindi poet, journalist, and translator basedinDelhi, has published five collections of poetry andthree collections ofsociocultural /literary essaysandcommentary. He hasbeena fellow ofIowa's International Writing Program (1991)andrecipient ofthe Sahitya Akademi Award, the highest awardoftheIndian Academy ofLetters. Dabral's poemshavebeentranslated intonumerous Indian and European languages, and hehastranslated intoHindi thepoetry ofPabloNeruda, Bertolt Brecht, Ernesto Cardenal, andYiannis Ritsos. An UnverifiableTheorem: ATritina RaviShankar Thegunonceintroduced must beforgotten becauseitssnub-nose givesa pocket theweight ofsyllogism: noposthumous event canaffect us. Or,say,after itoccurs, deathcannot affect us: it'simpossible toimagine whatwehaveforgotten whenwhowewerenolonger hasanyrealweight. Stripped ofconsciousness a bodyhastheweight ofwater evaporating from a lake:breath leaving us. Thenonceintroduced theguncannot beforgotten. Theweight oftheforgotten: notwhatleavesus. RaviShankar is AssociateProfessor and Poet-inResidenceat Central Connecticut State University and the founding editorof Drunken Boat,an international onlinejournalofthe arts.He has publishedfourbooksorchapbooksof poems and co-editedRadhaSays,theposthumous poems ofReetikaVazirani, as wellas Language for a NewCentury: Contemporary Poetry from Asia, theMiddleEast,and Beyond, called"a beautiful achievementforworldliterature" byNobel laureate NadineGordimer. 521WorldLiterature Today

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