An evocative poem by Niharika, about travelling across seven seas to a distant land, and Ganga, exclusively for Different Truths.

The seven seas that carried me 
and brought me here 
are getting warmer 
 
The seven seas that carried me 
and brought me here 
are getting dirtier 
 
The seven seas that carried me 
and brought me here 
are choking  
 
The seven seas that carried me 
and brought me here 
are weeping salty tears 
 
What then of the Holy Ganga 
that flows 
from the matted locks 
of Lord Shiva? 
 
What then of the Ganga 
that rinses away  
filth and sin  
from the bodies  
of those living  
and dead? 
 
What then of the Ganga 
that flows unabashedly 
oblivious  
to the turpitudes  
she has embraced 
so, sinners like us 
might sleep soundly? 
 
When the time comes 
will she be able  
to carry me  
in my vermilion anointed urn 
back to the seven seas? 

Visual by Different Truths

Niharika Chibber Joe

Niharika Chibber Joe is a United States civil servant. She is also a prize-winning published poet and short story writer. Her most recent work is in In All the Spaces: Diverse Voices in Global Women’s Poetry (2020), Millennium Poesy (2021), Earth Fire Water Wind (2021), Lockdown Prayers (2021), Paradise on Earth: An International Anthology (2021), and in Setu. She holds a B.A and M.A. from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University.