Dr. Roopali pens a satirical poem on the hazards of internet romance, exclusively for Different Truths
I fell in love with someone I had never met It was easy to talk on the internet “What’s up?” asked my WhatsApp And I breathlessly said, “Hi”. I lounged in my polka dotted pajamas My hair all dishevelled, my hands holding a nightcap. High on romance… I could choose my ambience. I let go of my haunting past The sadness I had hidden in my heart. I easy breathed in the cyber space vast letting my dreams take wings fast. I believed I had found peace at last. Each day a tiny red heart sang a hugging bear and a heart bell rang. “You are my muse,” the message said, “You are an amazing woman,” I read. Where were you hiding all these years? The caressing words asked in wonder! Hiding in secret spaces I replied My heart beats louder than thunder. Waiting for you to find me When will you see me Wrapped in silk and emeralds A bride in waiting for my lord. The messages sneaked in and out Sometimes furtive sometimes bold At the dinner table while serving soup or in the kitchen while kneading dough. Lately, I look at the phone often To see if those tiny hearts are back or at least the hugging bear. Back instead are the old tugging fears of rejection and loneliness. I send hesitant messages. After aeons a return of monosyllabic ones Enmeshed in emoji’s of brutal laughing faces. “I love you,” I say “Ditto,” says the return message “I miss you,” I try again “Ditto,” it says again. Perhaps an automatic response. Are you a robot ? Is there an OTP? A captcha… perhaps Had the heart turned steel Or was it just plain metal So this fish from a different kettle Was trying my mettle. I had fallen in love with someone I had never met. My fingers touch tear drops My phone screen is wet. All thanks to my vanished love on the internet.
Visual from the Internet
Dr. Roopali Sircar Gaur is a poet, travel writer, and social justice activist. A former professor of English Literature at Delhi University, and a creative writing professor at IGNOU, she is a widely published academic and creative writer. Her book Twice Colonised: Women in African Literature, is a seminal text on women’s socio-political empowerment. In 2020-21, she co-edited two poetry anthologies – In All the Spaces: Diverse Voices in Global Women’s Poetry, and Earth Fire Water Wind.
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