Soumik’s poem, for Different Truths, explores the golden-haired mannequin fixed behind glass. Finding her discarded body shatters the illusion, making her profoundly real.

Between us, the glass wall
On the other side
She stood
Sans eyeballs, sans vision
Sans lips, sans smile
Yet with her golden wigs
With the pixie cut and the bob
I began to like her
Every morning, I watched her
Standing fixed behind the glass
And in the evening, when I returned
She was still there
Standing where she stood
Tirelessly
 
And one day I missed her
In her box
My little heart felt the solitude
 
A little later I found her
In the opposite bin
Feet upwards
Left hand broken
Sans a piece of cloth
Anywhere in her faded skin
 
My nimble fingers touched her body
Now deserted, now cast off
And a lightning flashed all over me
 
Now she stands
Stands the same in her gown
Only this time
There is no glass wall
Between us.

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Soumik De

Soumik Kumar De is a poet by passion and a teacher by profession. A postgraduate and Master of Philosophy in English literature,. Hee has been severally anthologized in publications of international repute like Setu, INNSAEI, Borderless, The Indian Rover, Lipi, AWS e-zine, Literoma etc. His poems have been included in internationally acclaimed books like Aulos: An
Anthology of Poems; Caravan; Insalutas; Paradise on Earth, An International Anthology; Earth, Fire Water Wind, CYAN: An Anthology of Confessional Poetry to name a few. His poems have also been included in Timeless Inspiration: An International Anthology 2021 and The Romantic Breeze. Painting is another of his special area of interest. His oil paints have been
included in many internationally acclaimed books.