When I have thoughts on giving up this gift
By Shamik Banergee
When I have thoughts on giving up this gift,
this only gift the Lord conferred on me,
and wonder what if all my stanzas drift
into the winds of slow obscurity,
I stroll along the banyans in my street
and watch the cobbler busy with his art;
his pincers, awls, and hammers lend one’s feet
the talent bursting from his brain and heart.
And though another cobbler will surpass
his craft one day and make a stronger stitch,
he’ll go on thinking his repair will last
and die, defeating that dry feeling which
might make him think his passion couldn’t flow.
Then I’m content for verse is all I know.
Shamik Banerjee
Shamik Banerjee is a poet from Assam, India. He currently resides in Gurgaon, Haryana. Some of his recent publications include Spelt, Ink Sweat & Tears, St. Austin, San Antonio Review, Sheepshead Review, The Trinity Review, Third Wednesday, and Amethyst Review among others. He secured second position in the Southern Shakespeare Company Sonnet Contest, 2024, and was nominated for the Best of the Net by Flapper Press.
Photo credit: Yannick Pulver
