...And Then There Was Darkness…: Covid-19 Pandemic / Coronavirus Era

By Rummana Chowdhury

Rummana Chowdhury is the author of forty three books, both in Bengali and English, comprising of poetry, short stories, columns, novels and analytical essays. She did her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Dhaka in 1981 and was Bangladesh’s national badminton champion from 1975 to 1978. She excelled academically and was also nationally acclaimed as a leading debate commentator, radio and TV talk show host and recitation leader.

Today she has become a leading global commentator on issues of migration that pertain to the South Asian Diaspora, violence against women, diaspora literature, translation, cultural and historical remembrance strategies and feminist politics and culture. Rummana has received several notable awards including Meritorious Service 1977, by the RCMP of Canada, the Ontario Volunteers Award 2000, Woman Of The Year 2010 Canada and Writer and Translater: Diaspora Literature, Ontario Bengali Cultural Society 2016. She has also received several awards for her contributions to Bengali, English and Diaspora literature and translation work from Bangladesh, India, Europe and North America.
Noteworthy, The International Michael Modhu Sudan Datta Literary Award 2014,Shunil Gangopadhyay Literary Award 2017, Kobi Jasim Uddin Award 2019, Bangladesh Lekhika Shongho Award for Literature and Translation 2017 amongst others.

Rummana immigrated to Canada in 1982 and works as an accredited interpreter/ translator with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada and the Ministry of the Attorney General for the last 30 years. She has been designated as an Expert Witness in the field of social and cultural conditions of Bangladesh

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664122574

Rummana Chowdhury

Rummana Chowdhury is the author of forty-three books, in both Bengali and English, which include poetry, short stories, novels, and essays. She is a leading global commentator on issues of migration that pertain to the South Asian Diaspora. She has received several notable awards including Woman of the Year, 2010, Canada, and Best Writer and Translator for Diaspora Literature, Ontario Bengali Cultural Society, 2016. She has also received several awards for her contributions to Bengali, English and Diasporic literature and translation work, including, most recently, the Kobi Jasim Uddin Award, 2019, and the Bangladesh Lekhika Shongho Award for Literature and Translation, 2017. She immigrated to Canada in 1982 and for the past thirty years has worked as an accredited interpreter/ translator. She lives in Mississauga, Ontario. Dusk in the Frog Pond and Other Stories is her new collection of short stories.

Book preview

…AND THEN THERE WAS

DARKNESS…

COVID-19 PANDEMIC / CORONAVIRUS ERA

RUMMANA CHOWDHURY

Copyright © 2020 by Rummana Chowdhury.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 08/13/2020

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

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Contents

Prologue

Golden Harp

Days and Nights

Infinite Pain

Wails of Regret

Midnight Sleep

April is Daffodil Month

Therapeutic Hope

Victims of Destiny

Neon Butterflies in The Darkness

Not Supposed to Fall in Love

Mommy Mommy Wait

Unknown New Year

I Hold The Strings

Eternal Silence

Weep But Not Alone

Covid-19 Pandemic Era

Fragrant South Wind

Unlit Lamps

Homeless and Self Isolation

Flowers and Incense

Beyond Imagination

Unrealistic Expectations

Eternal Search

Unsung Songs

Faded Blooms

Frowning Forest

Dust-Laden Stranger

Mummy Do You Lie?

Shoreless Love

Voyage in The Dark

Nova Scotia Remembers

Gentle Footsteps

Ticking By

At Least I Am Living

Reflection

Unnoticed Departure

The Dead Daisies

Any Way I Cannot Laugh

Endless Road

Unspeakable Misery

In Desperation

Veil of Darkness

Is This Ecstasy

The Broken Slums

Cobweb of Illusions

Sweet Bitterness

Free as The Sky

Virtual Reality

Thousand Desires

Unknown Fatal Signs

For A Better World

Will Everything Be Okay Again?

One More Cup of Coffee

Broken Images

Reflection

Passive Flower

Lost Lyrics

Off Beat Melody

Do Ponder A Bit

I Can’t Breathe

Mass Graves in New York

Wistful Blue Sky

Coronavirus Era

Stardust of Hope

Migrants and Refugees

Deadly Emptiness

Musical Road

My World of Illusions

If I Survive This Pandemic

The Precious Price of Cocoa

America is On Edge

My Pristine Forest

The Broken Bridge of Dreams

Sculpture of My Wishes

Small Days Small Sins

Lost Seagulls

Galaxy of Regrets

Whispers of Regret

Wind-Song

Poetry and History

Silence in The Darkness

Unblemished White

In Silence and Solitude

Keep The Fire Burning

Silent Thunder

Resonant Melodies

Drooping Lotus

I Will Never Wake Up

Darkening Kohl

Misty Webs of Betrayal

Dancing Keys

Icicles

Mystic Healer

Dismal Notes

Perhaps

Is It So

How Far Can I Go Away From You

Virtual Celebration

The Potter and The Pot

Destiny’s Lamp

Perfumed Water

Awaken Me Again

No Regrets

Somewhere Someone Calls Out

Half A Shadow

Pause Button

Love The Maple Leaf

Unafraid Unapologetic

Fragrance of My Alphabets

Today I Met Akaash

Music in The Waves and Clouds

Fragrant Flames

The Tinkle of Bangles

Return of Dandelions

Unwanted Flurries

Fragrant Incense

Separate Entity

Fragrance of Your Hair

If We Become The Change We Want

Fire Flies

Nose-Ring of The Farmer’s Wife

A Fairy Tale of Bangles

The Hues of My Dreams

Bring Me A Dream

Blue Lotuses in Blue Envelopes

A Trilogy of Coffee:

Rejoice

Not at Liberty

Pomegranate Blossoms

I Am a Woman

Circled by Force

To Make A Difference

Rainfall and A Little Bird

Just a Question to The River Padma

Her Incense and Sandalwood

Just A Thought

Hymn of A Life Sculpture

Rhymes of Living

Dedication

For my dearest sister Fauzia Ali (Monu Apa) who has loved, guided and nurtured me from a very tender age. A very endearing friend and philosopher, I thank you, admire you and love you.

WITH GRATITUDE……

OUR DEEPEST LOVE RESPECT AND PRAYERS FOR ALL THE PRICELESS LIVES WE HAVE LOST TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ALL OVER THE WORLD

MY UNENDING SALUTE TO ALL THE INDISPENSIBLE FRONTLINE WORKERS WHO ARE CONTINUOUSLY GIVING THEIR TIME, EFFORTS AND EXPERTISE TO HUMANITY DURING THIS GLOBAL PANDEMIC. TO EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHO IS HELPING OTHERS IN HIS/HER OWN PERSONAL OR PUBLIC CAPACITY, WHETHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, WE THANK YOU.

WE LOVE YOU

WE SALUTE YOU

WE PRAY FOR YOU

EVERY SECOND EVERY MINIUTE EVERY HOUR EVERY DAY…

Prologue

QUARANTINE BLUES

At the end of February, 2020 I returned to Canada after my winter vacation leaving my husband and daughter behind in Bangladesh. I had started my work, grocery, shopping, socializing, coffee with friends and meeting loved ones. Canada started its lockdown from the middle of March. I became completely lonely, sad and depressed because amongst other things my husband and daughter could not join me since all flights were stopped. Whoever knew the world would turn around in such a short span! Whoever knew what Destiny had in mind! The Covid-19 Pandemic globally hit us all and disrupted every one’s life in one way or the other.

I became absolutely lonely and isolated, not being able to go out for work or pleasure. I kept on watching the news and avidly reading everything about this Coronavirus and became paranoid. Life became an unknown platform. Then my sister, Tara Apa, ninety years old, with twinkling eyes and endless wisdom told me to write poetry. I braked myself and consciously changed my course. People were dying or losing their loved ones, frontline workers were selflessly serving humanity, all ages and categories of people were helping each other and their communities in any way they could. While I was wallowing in my own misery and fear! Everyone’s lifestyle changed for the better or worse. Prioritization, pollution, family values, selflessness etc. were comprehended in a new manner. Sadly though, all kinds of physical, domestic and psychological abuses increased worldwide. The New Abnormal became the Normal. The world united under one banner. Inventing Vaccines, improved Medicare and accelerated research followed.

I wrote poems on anything and everything of each passing day. We are living in this present age in which the systemic racism that has always existed against Black, Indigenous peoples and Racialised people has become increasingly visible in Canada and globally. The murder of George Floyd (A Black American) on May 25, 2020 in police custody (by white police officers) globally accelerated The Black Lives Matter Movement in leaps and bounds. Thousands and thousands of people all over the world demonstrated in Solidarity and Support. George Floyd was choked to death by the knee of the police officer. Anti-Racism protests also included various issues of inequality, deprivation, and Sovereignty of the marginalized Indigenous communities of Canada. Hopefully Systemic Racial discrimination, Economic Inequality, Social Injustice, Gun Violence, Inadequate Housing and Medicare, Food Insecurity and Police Brutality will be eradicated at last, and soon. We Canadians, have committed ourselves for providing a platform for the voices that speak out against these injustices. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a knee with the demonstrations in Ottawa, in solidarity with protesters and demonstrators all over the world. Our honorable PM became a great Leader and a hero for helping Canadians out in all sectors of their lives in this extraordinarily fearful period. My poems reflect these difficult times.

I tried to create, adapt, transform, and inspire people in any way I could through my poems. Globally, all of us found more time at hand to do meditation, reflections, understanding our sins and sorrows, comprehending our new values and priorities, and moving on with the New Normal. Once again, we all have to try to learn to love Mother Earth and to respect all her boundaries. I wrote about all categories of people, their joys, sorrows, trials, and tribulations all over the world. I forgot my own world, and tried to March with others, to create a New and Better World.

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Golden Harp

(Yearning for a Harmonious Melody and

forgiveness from our Mother Earth)

I do not hear the nostalgic music of the golden harp anymore. I ache for its woefully straining melody. I have uncontrollably cried for its warm notes in the ebony darkness of countless monsoon nights. Now in this Coronavirus era I do not know what are the chances of my survival. Will I ever be able to play or