A poem of despondency, helplessness, and hope, by Dr. Roopali, exclusively for Different Truths.

You can find me where you last saw me
I am in no rush to go anywhere.
Somebody or something put me here 
and I need to smell the flowers and 
just stand around and stare.
Why do I have to be seen 
and heard everywhere? 
Why the rush and hurry to get somewhere
When I know in my heart there is nowhere
I am truly in no hurry to get anywhere.

The heart must beat evenly 
Just as the tree stands still 
stretching its shady branches at will in
flowering and fruiting and always giving
and you call this procrastinating!

The sky is not moving its blue 
clouds come and go, changing 
colours and a vanishing hue.
The pouring gushing rain disappears
The dancing wind in all its glory 
Is not seen, mostly feared.

Stable and strong 
The Sun stays put in his space
not getting about or moving 
from place to place 
yet warming, stirring and 
bringing to life 
creatures big and small 
without any strife
It’s just rays touch with magic 
the girth of the moving earth. 

I think to live with grace 
You must refuse the rat race. 
You see If you win 
It will not be a sin 
you will only be a rushing rat 
or a fluttering blind bat. 

I am truly in no hurry to go anywhere
I know deep in my heart 
there is a place somewhere
called nowhere. 

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths

Dr. Roopali Sircar Gaur

Dr. Roopali Sircar Gaur is a poet, travel writer, and social justice activist. A former professor of English Literature at Delhi University, and a creative writing professor at IGNOU, she is a widely published academic and creative writer. Her book Twice Colonised: Women in African Literature, is a seminal text on women’s socio-political empowerment. In 2020-21, she co-edited two poetry anthologies – In All the Spaces: Diverse Voices in Global Women’s Poetry, and Earth Fire Water Wind.