Gopal’s protest poem, exclusively for Different Truths, depicts a city’s streets filled with defiance, questioning rulers’ ability to ignore demands before change becomes too strong.
Abhaya’s are flying over the city corner leaving
one world in their wake, looking for answers.
A blank and boundless expanse too vast to comprehend
and the world beneath that surrounds the hands of defiance.
Groaning traffic and lathi waving ruling forces that
tail down soon into utter bedlam and commotions,
A fledgling sunlight drips into the ramshackle
shelters, below that brewing into a place of protest.
Hungry medics are weak; their bodies are broken
but they are not going to give up their demands.
Mundane air inside is all set to light up the mood
with songs, slogans and clapping till the end,
Seeking justice for the tortured dead and safety
for the living. Everyone cheers on everyone.
Rulers say- they are not distracted by ‘Side Winds’,
ready to ignore the link between body and soul.
But for how long? The common man needs answers.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
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.
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