Village bride

Beuti will go to her father-in-law's house
All boxes and packets are made and tied
The husband is sitting eagerly
Singing some classical rhythms.

Green banana, ripe wood apple
And hand-picked butter
Dried mango, balls made of molasses
We gave along.

Big Lemon, star apple
And curd made in the house
Dried molasses, flattened rice, fried rice
Parched paddy from Binni rice.

Pointed gourd, eggplant, pumpkin
And Rohu Carp caught in the net
There are more left…
Where should we put them!

(Beuti- name of a village bride, it means beauty;
Binni- a special type of paddy in Greater Bengal;
In good old days, when a bride used to go to
her father-in-law’s house, it was a tradition to
give so many things with her.)