You had given a word
Promised and assured
That
One day you would come
And spend a night here.

Sorrowful waves rise from the sea
And ripples seem to be tearful.

In your anticipated arrival, I
Gather the sand pebbles from time,
My sand house keeps collapsing;
I try again and again
But it remains incomplete.
I am left with the
Incomplete, impoverished
And helpless shores.
Your hazy footsteps
Like impressions on wax
Remind me that you had come once.

The waves kiss the shores unawares
The sea beckons me in the city
And the city is reflected in the sea.

I had thought
On identifying the faraway horizon
You would run back to me
Like tomorrow’s dream,
In the greenery of my heart.

Alas, my wishes have retraced from
The open Verandah of your clear sky.
I fail often,
In my effort,
A light touch
Can reduce my sand-house to rubbles.

But, for that
Sand-house of mine,
It was decided that
You would come and
Spend a night here.

(Translated from Oriya by Sobhan Kar and Ashutosh Agnihotry)