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

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.