The thick-walled trench’s cave-darkness
lies beyond wars of every kind.
Rest here, out of the blaze—the thick air’s
stirred by the thousand breaths
This is the truth, not the stretched
non-immortal breaths burn like daylight when
sun pierces abandoned infant hands.
The stinking bodies and half-living are strewn
like matchsticks under the blue sky,
many large and small bones under ash.
Now the scorched skins catch fire
then hot becomes lukewarm, to days of calm
to come, so that the stains remain in the blood.
The sound of siren weaves the next narrative.
© Gopal Lahiri
Composite Nick Victor
Gopal Lahiri is a Kolkata, India, based bilingual poet and critic and published in English and Bengali language. He has published 29 books to his credit and his works are translated in 16 languages. Recent credits: The Wise Owl, Catjun Mutt Press, Dissident Voice, Piker Press, Indian Literature, Kitaab, Setu, Undiscovered Journal, Poetry Breakfast, Shot Glass, The Best Asian Poetry, Converse, Cold Moon, Verse-Virtual journal and elsewhere. He has been nominated for Pushcart Prize for poetry in 2021.
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