Dr. Sangita Swechcha has been an ardent lover of literature from an early age. She has published a novel ‘Pakhalieko Siudo’ (Washed Vermillion) and co-authored a collection of short stories ‘Asahamati ka Pailaharu’ (Hoofmark of Discord) before the collection of short stories ‘Gulafsanga ko Prem’ (The Rose: An Unusual Love Story). Her second novel is under publication and her short story collection is being translated into English. She has many short stories and poems published in various international journals, online portals, radio and television including Radio Nepal, Nepal Television, Capital FM, Global Literature in Library Initiative (USA), Your2Read (UK), Borderless Journal, Global Voices (The Netherlands), Eternity (India), The Bangladesh Post (Bangladesh).     

Email: sangyshrestha@hotmail.com

Website: www.sangitaswechcha.com

Elapsed Time

The mirror questions me-
Who are you?
And says-I recognise you no more. 
My knees warn me- 
Don't you jump so much!
Yet I keep exerting them
This leaves me dog-tired.   

Unheeding, my mind takes wing  
And rushes to the battleground 
To compete with the youth.

Alas! These days 
My body and mind 
Are not in the same rhythm 
They are ever in conflict 
As a mute witness, 
I observe their conflict 
And listen to the prattle between them. 

I can neither laugh
Nor can I cry 
After all 
Both of them represent me, 
Making fun of me.

Helpless!
I witness the days slipping by, 
Taking its course. 
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Translated from Nepali by Bal Ram Adhikari