A pensive dark poem by Mohini – exclusively for Different Truths.

When one leaf flutters,
As if calling for another.
The lamplight shines above one of the tufts,
Warm yellow warring the soft green.
 
The temples convince their gods,
To shower mercy upon them.
An engine revs, and the man on the balcony spits,
This is the show, and this is the company.
 
Arias is different and most colourful,
The man sings lightly,
A country coughs atrociously.
No melodies, no hysteria, no masquerades
Help arouse the slumbering gods,
When their kingdom becomes prey.
 
The man looks above into a starless silent sky,
A quiet sadness thunder around.
He lights a cigarette for the last time,
Feels the smoke settle in,
Turns around and forgets to bow.

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Mohini Awasthi

Mohini Awasthi, a 24-year-old poet from Lucknow, has completed her graduation and post-graduation from the University of Lucknow. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University. In the poems, she attempts to capture the social sadness that the world has presented to her. She is on her way to understanding this world and its nuances. Her writings vent her bitter-sweet life.