With three unmarried daughters and a son

dowry-promising soil washed away by the river –

I wonder what will become of the family by the river.

With three young daughters and a son,

floods having taken most of their property –

I see red eyed recognition of approaching poverty.

With three growing daughters and a son,

rice growing soil washed away by flood –

dry-eyed calculations of crops in square-meters of mud.

With three daughters and a birthright son,

family graves washed out to sea –

with that record gone, what place in history?

Barisal, Bangladesh 2015