The human flesh market has gone up recently;

after the ousting of Ershad, there was a depression in the market.

All the money-black, white, blue, rosy-swept out of market.

The dust of that flying currency fell on the press, posters, pamphlets,

motorcycles and hoodlums.

At the stake of democracy of election

billions of notes were spread out

all over the country.

Tithi , Bithi, Nishi, Baby – all the girls of all the quarters

of  the capital city were crushed.

The  semi  prostitutes

went down to smaller ones  from bigger houses.

and those living in smaller ones rented rooms in slums.

The female character who sells fish in the play

Kotaho Keyu Nei by Humayun Ahmed

is found only on the television screen.

During the last five years, for reasons unknown,

the flesh market gone up.

There have been new faces, all are professionals.

They can manage the police very smoothly.

Guest houses profuse in number,

and ale, gamble and girls sold together there.

For open market policy international trends

are also encroaching our market:

with the Middle Eastern, European, and other parts of Asian

customers of our products are well matched

in the markets of Dhaka.

Of course, for old religious influences,

the cast system has impassable bars to flesh market.

Here those who have some sort of connection

with cinema, theater or university

enjoy higher rates.

Though those who’ve been outcast

from garment sectors or others

are unjustifiably deprived of expected rates.

They’ve to accept lower ones at Tanbazar,

at  Sadarghat the lowest.

No discipline in the market of flesh.

In Europe that’s totally inconceivable:

in Rome, London or Antwerp the flesh markets are

free from middlemen.

The middlemen in flesh markets of Thailand, Canada

or the USA have already been accepted,

but they don’t bother so much with the girls

as those in our country do in cruelty.

Girls there can avail themselves of healthcare, insurance and so on.

How an unfortunate country our is!

Here flesh business is prohibited

though the consumers roam about with erect tails.

If the commodity is of high class,

her photograph is published in newspapers.

But our police at Dinajpur raped an innocent girl

and let out their opinion

saying she was a wayward one as if her wounded genital organ

were a rent free land

as if her life were absolutely worthless.

October 09, 1995

''মাংসের বাজার'' কবিতার অনুবাদ

[Translated by Dulal Al Monsur]