Gopal’s evocative poem tells us about a silent room that invites contemplation on existence and silence, and more – exclusively for Different Truths.  

1.

that room is empty for so long,
a void a calmness a silence
weaving an unheard story
ready for unlock.

let there be a plot.
no me no you.

think about it.

2.

everyone must be somewhere.
you sound like a mourner,
you stop.

you think about silence, it goes
on calling, it leaves you,
and flies out.

over the cornfields
searching and searching
over the river
over the universal darkness.

silence never lets you down.

3.

something is burning somewhere,
your body in flames,
slowly,
we breathe you in dense fume,

angst in the form of shrapnel,
insert them in our legs,
we will still run, run to the danger.

sunset, crimson, blood,
your colour,
if you are a poem
what poem you will be?

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Gopal Lahiri

Gopal Lahiri, a prolific bilingual poet, critic, editor, writer, and translator, has 32 published books, including eight solo/jointly edited volumes. His poetry and prose grace over 150 global journals and anthologies, with translations into 18 languages across 17 countries. Nominated for the 2021 Pushcart Prize and 2025 Best of the Net, he earned the 2020 Setu Excellence Award and 2024 First Jayanta Mahapatra National Award. His work features in the Penguin Book of Poems on Indian Cities.