Dr Jyothsnaphanija blends rivers, tonic, trees, et al., to the music of piano, in this verse – exclusively for Different Truths.

River in May
Flowing like apple cider vinegar-smelling tonic
In the throat
Excessively used for singing
Halted with chronic cough
Takes for trees
Circles drawn on quiet flames of incense stick.
Twigs like markers.
In the daytime, the river is cactus.
I unusually think of
magnet kept in the sand
in a square container
to trace the iron.
River in the night
like a glass sheet
like the C-minor chord of piano
a flavour in the water boiling
Along with bits of
valerian root.

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Dr Jyothsnaphanija

Dr Jyothsnaphanija teaches English Literature at ARSD College (University of Delhi), India. Her first poetry collection Ceramic Evening was published in 2016. Her poems most recently have appeared and are forthcoming in The Handy, Uncapped Pen, Wishbone Words, The Hopper, Bosphorus Review of Books and others.