Amita’s evocative poem is about a parched soul yearning for inspiration, seeking solace in the elusive beauty of nature’s harsh desert, exclusively for Different Truths.

At times my mind roves
lost in a dreary desert, where
scalding breath disorients
 a poetic voice, parched
 senses in thirst for words
look for an oasis of shelter
caravan of images as elusive as mirage
dodge over sand leaving imprints –
in futile fits I try to reclaim
the spur, cadence of moments
lurking in bird’s song serenading
outlandish dunes, groves of palm
I wait for the hour of ablution
a desert thunderstorm  to drench
the pallid landscape, a lacuna in my soul
with a perennial touch of green.

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Amita Ray

Amita Ray, a former associate professor in English is based in Kolkata. An academic of varied interests she is a translator, short story writer and poet. She has four volumes of noted Bengali authors to her credit. She has authored a collection of short stories which has received rave reviews. Her latest publication is a book of poems. Her translation of Abanindranath Tagore's 'Khirer Putul', has been inducted into the post -graduate syllabus in English of Burdwan University.

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