An evocatively intense love poem, by Nandini, exclusively for Different Truths.

I hadn’t thought of writing
about nature’s negotiation until you told me 
what stone we are carved from,
what lesions make you, you
and me, me, to this extent.

The nights of solitude wound me, 
the yellow moon incites my scars.
Yet, I am consumed 
by the melancholy of your extant; 
my past suffers in its bereavement. 

You fleece the things that you should share 
and say what I want you to hide. 
I pretend to laugh.
But my ebullient laughter can't hide my scars.
I can't put my quiet ache under
this disguise at this moment.

You have come to my retreat after long yearning
you have given words to my yearnings.
Isn’t this negotiation of nature enough
for us my love?
Isn’t our home
home-enough? Our nights, night enough?
Aren’t oceans, ocean enough, butterflies,
butterfly enough,
rains, sunsets, mountains, birds, wind,
sunrise, leaves, ladybugs
enough in their nature and spirit?

Nature took off its life
from the day of our acclimatization.
Now, I see an icier shoulder
on the negotiation table.
I see a responsive flora and not too wearisome a boulder,
and our dropping of chains for shackles—
well, I comprehend no other floor of commitment.

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths

Prof. Nandini Sahu

Prof Nandini Sahu is the Vice Chancellor of Hindi University, West Bengal, and a celebrated Indian English poet and Amazon's Best-selling Author. Formerly a Professor and Director at IGNOU, New Delhi, she is the author/editor of 23 books. A double Gold-Medalist, her accolades include a Gold Medal from the Vice President of India for English Studies, the Michael Madhusudan Academy Award-2024, and the Tagore Samman-2025. Her expertise spans Folklore, Hindu Studies, Comparative Literature, and Critical Theory.

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