Small Towns and Rivers 

The poem, 'Small Towns and Rivers' is taken from the collection of the poems, 'The River Poems', published in 2004. The poem describes a landscape and Nature where river is a dominant phenomenon. Through the concepts like 'river has a soul' and 'river knows immortality of water,' the poet makes us aware of the lively nature around her hometown 'Pasighat' and the eternity of the natural elements. 

She finds that even life and death are transient. The poem is based on the belief of the tribal people from the North East, that the souls of the beloved ones always continue to dwell in the natural elements around. So she remembers death when she sees the towns. The towns, she implies, have prospered when Nature has been destroyed. The poet has expressed anxiety at the developments in the small towns. 

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