Author: Shaheena Chowdhury

One day I flew away And what did I see? Lamp posts plastered with election manifestos Crisping at the edges In the heat of the pre-monsoon sun Politics played second fiddle to the virus Roadside shutters opened To reveal aquariums Bettys and cories Minnows and mollies Feasting on snails and brine shrimp Oblivious to the infected street beggars Squatting on the pavement Slum dwellers queued behind The municipal pickup For rations of flour and potatoes Rice paddies defied the pandemic But crops couldn’t get Past lockdown patrols And spoiled in poorly kept silos instead Teachers stayed up till sehri time…