Poetry | I Entered a Vinod Kumar Shukla Poem
Renowned writer and Jnanpith awardee Vinod Kumar Shukla passed away a day ago, on December 23, 2025.
I entered a Vinod Kumar Shukla poem
Through the open window
And found a world inside.
Looking for a cricket ball from childhood
The one that smashed a window pane
Leaving smithereens and bringing everyone out from their homes
To watch kids scurrying away.
Inside, a cold dark table, no one there.
I felt my way along the walls,
An old clock chiming.
The kid now works in America and is looking for a green card
The one that will keep him there forever.
The father is walking into sunset.
But there is still some journey left
To watch a cricket match somewhere
Along the well-worn road.
On a dusty street, where windows crackle when old.
The cricket ball must be somewhere in the corner,
It must have sneaked under the bed.
I look for the bed
Now no longer there.
The ball must have rolled into the kitchen
Filled with yesterday’s utensils, pots and pans
Raising a racket, tinkling old laughter.
It must have come out through the open door
Settling by the drain somewhere
Where tufts of wild grass grow
Tall as reawakening.
I sneaked out of the house on tip toe
Careful not to wake those sleeping.
Through a gap between the stanzas, I jumped
Finding myself somewhat strange
To be out again inside the world
Holding a comma
The question mark still eluding me.
Instead of a cricket ball, only the pages turned
As one round year became another.
Amlanjyoti Goswami has written three books of poetry, A Different Story, River Wedding and Vital Signs, published by Poetrywala. River Wedding was shortlisted for the Sahitya Akademi award. Published in journals and anthologies across the world, including Poetry, The Poetry Review, Penguin Vintage, Rattle and Sahitya Akademi, he is also a Best of the Net and Pushcart nominee. He grew up in Guwahati and lives in Delhi.
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