Immersed in a symphony of longing and nostalgia, Debarati finds solace in ethereal dreams — exclusively for Different Truths.

The fragrance of longing percolated my senses.
as the scarlet creeper crawled up my shoulders,
leaving me with the nostalgia of bygones. 
A yearning filled me to the brim
as a dream escaped from my mind
and went up to the hills
to have a parley with the clouds.
It stood at the crest
With its arms wide open
soaking in the placid night.
As the city went to bed
and the lights in the hills went off
the fireflies came out of the bell 
to fly off to another dimension.
As the moss gathered inside my mind
My poems refused to move.
While my dream spoke of her dream
to travel across sands of time.
And to feed on star dust
To cherish her soul.
To leave all its woes far behind
and never return to this mundane world again
where her wings are clipped
and her eyes are blurred
with the scorching heat of reality.
And all this while I sat close by,
Listening to my dreams
Speaking of her dreams. 

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.