Published in Padma Meghna Jamuna: Modern Poetry from Bangladesh (2010), edited by Kaiser Haq and published by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature.

So you think I’ll desist if you just cross the Atlantic?

The human mind

is faster than the speed of light

your heart shall remain imprisoned within

my own.

In between, the ignorance of millions of nautical miles

lies solitary and tormented

like a beggar in afflicted pity

my debts remain unpaid

your debts remain unpaid

No matter how far you go

flying across the Atlantic or the Pacific

your roots still remain within my heart

your heart and mind

captive

within the jailhouse of my soul !