Salt & Betrayers

The poem talks about a poet's friends who betrayed him for their own benefit.

Salt & Betrayers

You touched my sweat with your tongue

Abontika, and had said, ‘Ah salty beauty

heart of heart…scent of masculinity…’

That day, from Police custody to Court

rope tied to my waist and handcuffed

I walked along with murderers hoodlums;

circus loving crowd on both sides of road.

The betrayers, who volunteered in

court to testify against me, said, when

they came down from witness-box, ‘No,

the sweat was sweet and not salty ; thus

no question of treachery could arise�"

and should not be marked as Betrayers.’

( Translation of Noon O Nimakharami )

Kolkata, 2005