Madhu’s poignant poem, exclusively for Different Truths, explores themes of mortality, loss, and time passage through autumn, highlighting the beauty of nature and the pursuit of justice.

The road lies barren:
Those trees have aged!
The russet leaves bereft of youth
Sing the dirge of the fading year
Dreams have died! 
Their wailing, do you hear?
 
Desolation decries autumn’s grace
Caged fear shudders at winter’s embrace!
How beauty is robbed
Modesty snatched;
Yellowing leaves, descend detached!
If grieving could alter fate
Wouldn’t we grieve ourselves to death?
 
Seasons change
Winter sees spring!
In humankind does truth ever sings
Songs of triumph?
Like the blooms after snow
Liberation from fudging
When shall we know?
 
Brutal, heinous murder
Of innocent, honest life
Justice must be met
For once, not denied!
 
The silence on an autumn twilight 
Would then be real peace
A serene scene to behold
In all its fairness kissed!

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Madhu Gangopadhyay

Madhu Gangopadhyay is an MA in English Literature and a dance enthusiast. She has been in the education industry for two decades now. Her poems and short stories have been published in several international anthologies, webzines and e-zines, and her poems have been translated into Spanish, Albanian, Turkish, and Persian. She is currently pursuing MA in Psychology.

See Full Bio