The queue is long
like a train serpentine,
crawling in silence
at the borders;
the faces, all vacant
like scraps of humanity
littered away,
forgotten by destiny.
Whiplashed by laws,
life is but a crime scene
tracing detailed fingerprints
of pain.
Scanning an entire life
bending it with
whimsical pressure of
the bureaucratic thumb.
And all the while
the blue digits on the arm
scream: You're only a number.
Seeking asylum.
Chaitali Sengupta is a published writer, translator, journalist from the Netherlands. A regular contributor to the Dutch online newspaper Eindhoven News, she writes and translates for other Dutch media platforms too. Her poems, short stories and articles have appeared in many literary platforms in India like Muse India, Indian Periodical, Borderless Journal, Setu Bilingual, The Asian Age, The Statesman, Different Truths. Her translated work “Quiet Whispers of our Heart” (Orange Publishers, 2020) received good reviews at the International Book Fair, Kolkata, India. Her poems are part of acclaimed anthologies, published from both the USA and India.