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 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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