A Day in Kathmandu

~Kuma Raj Subedi

–

It’s a new year eve.
Freak Street in not lit up
as a bridal home in a marriage ceremony
as it used to be once during Jatras-
Perhaps the street has lost
flavour of the seventies
when Bob searched for peace in the city
and its corners that were darkened by the fumes.

I saw no sellers of the exotic plant
nor did I notice the menu
which would draw in crowds
even on an ordinary day-
A group of crows crowing in a cloudy sky
could be a lamentation for its glorious past,
perhaps they are weary of their own existence.
Like a deserted castle Hanumandhoka
now haunts during the day let alone in the evening to those who know of the square’s blood bathed floors.

Sitting on a corner, I imagined
Junga Bahadur galloping on the square,
with his sword pointing towards his kinsmen
who died for his hunger for throne.

When I blinked my eyes
the noterietay of this square
vanished like vapour in the air-
No matter what, I won’t try to reverse it
I simply couldn’t…

Only the occasional tolling of the bells
could be heard –
Perhaps this sound is ominous
and it can also be silenced
If the metropolis decides to lock it down
in order to save its life.

Then none could remember the bloodshed
or fantasise about Junge’s cavalry,
None could imagine seizing power
that they believe comes from the barrel of the guns and muscles.

Australia, Des.2025

—-
Kuma Raj Subedi is an Australian poet and translator with post-graduate degrees in literature and TESOL. He usually brings a rich thematic palette to his poetry—exploring nature, memory, migration, identity, and social issues. His acclaimed debut collection The Colours of Spring (2023) has earned him international recognition, including the Best Poet of the Event Award at the 2023 International Nazrul Poetry Festival in Bangladesh. His poems have been widely published across distinguished anthologies, journals, and reviews.