Debarati’s poem, exclusively for Different Truths, describes a spring evening filled with surreal hues, reminiscent of Eliot’s haunting stillness under Sakura skies.

As cherry blossoms gather
on the boneyard steps
The smell of marshmallow dreams wafts in the air
Above the Sakura tree
Earl Grey clouds float by
Emerald fields echo with verdant promises
A brook sparkles with the sun's mandarine haze
Spatterdocks spread their wings to take flight
On the bosom of the amber sky
Across my heart's trellis, poetic melismas
Utter honeycomb syllables 
A vernal glee drowns in the plainchant of a Spring evening
That is ‘spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherised upon a table.’

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Debarati Sen

Debarati Sen, an award-winning poet from Kolkata, published two solo poetry collections and contributed to more than 10 anthologies. She has recently made it to the top 50 poets in the NaPoWriMo 2023 writing challenge, and her poem, ‘Maple Dreams’, has been selected for the Yearbook 2022 to be published by Hawakal Publishers. Her haiku have been published in Haikuniverse, Five Fleas, Scarlet Dragonfly Journal, Suspect Device, Pan Haiku Review, and the Horror Senryu journal.