Thirst for life

(Translated by Rifat Munim)

There resides a blunt pain at the center of my heart

Adamant yet dormant, this feeling is tiring;

Racing with time, it increases exponentially

While I find it difficult to breathe.

Silent scream agitates my whole being

A fear grips me

A fear which was born in another realm.

I keep on being murdered, time and again, haplessly.

I keep on praying eagerly for a mere breath of air

Expressions of lost agonies reverberate around me;

They ridicule me, circling me around.

This untidy, black-and-white life then seems colorful

The intense desire to live sweeps all through my consciousness

And clings on to my dejected, devastated body

Thus I arrive at the country of suicide.

But I am murdered even in my dreams

So I throw the question while I dream—

How many thousands of deaths do you need 

To find traces of life?

Answer to the questions remains elusive

While I am engulfed by boundless emptiness!

Nawshad Hasan Himu (27), known as Himalay Himu to his friends and well-wishers, was a social worker and activist. He was involved in the leftist political movement and was a supporter of the Ganajagaran Mancha. He became the face of volunteerism in Bangladesh after the Rana Plaza tragedy due to his heroic role in the rescue mission. On the anniversary of the tragedy, April 24, the good Samaritan set himself on fire and committed suicide.