A poem for Lorca, Gauri, Santanu and all the other disappearing fireflies
In the summer of 1936, there was a war
In the autumn of 2017, the war still is
The same enemy – power
The same dreams – freedom
In the summer of 1937,
three human fireflies
had fallen in Granada
Along with many other
Across the world.
In the autumn of 2017, the fireflies
have fallen in swarms
The last seventy years,
like the seventy thousand before that
has been a history
of this fall
In the summer of 1936,
by some firefly-bereft dump
Three good people
Got bumped off.
As did many more in many other places
In the autumn of 2017
In a country where Barcelona
is football clubs for the elite
Two such fireflies
got it bad. As tanks entered Catalonia.
By then,
everywhere,
real fireflies were leaving
fast.
Atindriyo Chakraborty is a poet from Kolkota
