An evocative poem by Dr Pragya, wherein she explores the many shades of silence – exclusively for Different Truths.

If silence stands for peace 
then why does it always feel differently
Cold, indifferent in the library
But making the air so heavy around you and me, 
more stressful than the silence
of an examination hall
 
There is aching silence after the war.
There is amorous silence in the eyes while lovers talk
There is the silence of an unsettled storm 
after the acid rain of words 
when there is nothing left to say
You silently pray
You want that silence but not this way
 
There is allaying silence around the sea 
where rolling and crashing waves don't wait 
to create perfect moments
inspiring muse and way of life
 
There is habitual silence, lying numb 
around the unfulfilled desires of a still pond
reeking with pathos 
manifesting meaningless existence
 
Silence feels and breathes inside 
like you and me 
through the umbilical cord 
Celebrating meditation and trying to break free
from the suffocating silence of alienation
contemplating in many dialects of its own

When you and I,
grow old and mature like wine
Silence becomes a choice
for better communication 
louder than a voice
gripping mind and body,
to transform, to move on
for good

 Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths

Dr Pragya Bajpai

Dr Pragya Bajpai, Ph.D. is a poet, editor, and academic serving at the National Defence Academy, Pune. She is a postgraduate from Lucknow University and has received her PhD in English Literature from Banaras Hindu University, India. She has authored two collections of poems titled A Potpourri of Proverbs (2021) and Conversation on Cue (2023), co-authored with Shefali Nautiyal. She has edited five anthologies celebrating the armed forces.

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