Escaping the more than usual chaos of Dhaka, I’m off for a weekend with friends on a beach somewhere… When there is real chaos in Dhaka then everything gets quiet and it is Hatal time. Four days this week the morning streets were empty as people stayed home to keep out of the way of trouble. Quiet streets in Dhaka – that’s a sign of real chaos; total traffic chaos – that’s business as usual.

We also had a quiet evening Sunday, as mentioned in my previous blog, when we had a literary evening at the Nordic Club, including reading of poems and short stories. The following is one of the poems I read:

Telling a story

When you tell a story you’re airing an idea 

Picking out the essence, trying to make it clear

Sharing your translation of the facts and deeds

Searching fertile seedbeds – there to plant your seeds

When life’s inspiration builds up in your heart

When the words start queuing then you make a start

Your interpretation of the how and why

Laying bare the candor that you can’t deny

When you have a message that you can’t make clear

When you want to give a hint or unwrap a fear

Sharing some small wisdom that might help a friend

Finding words to ease a lie gently to its end

Fairy tales aren’t childish, we all need them too

Legends that remind us of what we still might do

Narrating your own history helps to make some sense

Please tell me a story – words without pretense