1.
Yet another day
a hairpin is being pushed inside,
she is forced to break her bangles.
Her tongue wants to hit the right note,
every curtain turns buttermilk white
2.
The river is full- it’s brackish water.
crowded jetties and anchored boats,
you stop, turn and look back,
Rain clouds blowing water up my pores,
I am there, slicing memories into halves.
3.
On the face of wars, two ribbons
of light is hiding beneath my bed
for the sake of peace and harmony.
Outside the children cry in the cold
I need someone to believe in my stories.
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Gopal Lahiri
Picture Nick Victor
Short Bio:
Gopal Lahiri is a bilingual poet, critic, editor, writer and translator with 31books published, including eight solo/jointly edited books. His poetry and prose are published across more than one hundred journals and anthologies globally His poems are translated in 18 languages and published in 16 countries. He has been nominated for Pushcart Prize for poetry in 2021. He has received Setu Excellence Award, Pittsburgh, US, in poetry in 2020. He has been conferred First Jayanta Mahapatra National Award on literature in 2024 for his significant contribution in Indian English Writing. His collection of poems ‘Alleys are Filled with Future Alphabets.’ has received Pan Asian Ukiyoto awards. First Prize Winner in Poetry Contest organised by 43rd World Congress of Poets in 2024.
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