Gopal’s poem explores life and death cycles, evoking empathy and existential angst, exclusively for Different Truths, through a tragic bird’s tragic demise.
I saw a tiny bird mauled by a wild dog
The trees around my house mourn this.
I hold the bird gently and gauge the depth
of her wound. The life is gradually leaving
her body. This will save her from the pain,
hunger and hassle of searching the
nest. She will grow in her wounds again,
flying on the edges of the earth and sky.
Her chirps earlier covered the darkness of
my heart. I can see the human face of her.
I see the redness of her sharp eyes.
The last cry breathes her rage and anger.
When the sunlight spills over my courtyard
I want to drown myself in raging infernos.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
Gopal Lahiri, a prolific bilingual poet, critic, editor, writer, and translator, has 32 published books, including eight solo/jointly edited volumes. His poetry and prose grace over 150 global journals and anthologies, with translations into 18 languages across 17 countries. Nominated for the 2021 Pushcart Prize and 2025 Best of the Net, he earned the 2020 Setu Excellence Award and 2024 First Jayanta Mahapatra National Award. His work features in the Penguin Book of Poems on Indian Cities.
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