A skylark’s song in rain-soaked cities evokes distant memories, weaving dreams and longing for home warmth, weaving dreams within dreams, an evocative poem by Debarati, exclusively for Different Truths.

On a rainy afternoon, a skylark’s song carries on its shoulders a distant reverie
I try to catch a dream within a dream
inside a conch shell, half filled with moonlight, lie memories of a home
While I shift from one city to another, the moon relocates with me
The stillness of a lonely night crawls into my skin as I try to make friends with another stranger at the pub
A blurred red traffic light flickers on my memory’s monochrome
The fragrance of sodden earth reminds me of home.
Sitting alone at an amusement park in a new city, I blow a dandelion, intensely hoping my hometown to love me back
A sudden darkness peeps through the veil of forsaken dreams as the dandelion seeds scatter on my lap
A janitor waits on the other side of my longing to take me back home
I have a sudden desire to return to the womb
Where I will be safe from my inner cacophony
The autumn moon hums my name as my hometown decks up for Durga Puja.
The smell of an old wooden chair soaked in the rain puts me to sleep
The wind of longing hits against the iron gate of reminiscence
Last summer was twenty years ago.
I was in a red frock holding Ma’s hand, treading through Astami’s crowd at Maddox Square.
The veins of a dry maple leaf juts out like my longing to return home.
I rest my head on the lap of an unknown city
The traffic lights flicker in unison.
I try to catch a dream within a dream.

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.