An evocative protest poem, by Gopal, exclusively for Different Truths.

I learned to hold up the sky like grey clouds with its back,
letting turfs and buildings go under till the blue returns
to cover the earth.
 
Day roll into fire, leading to glare
Someone whispers resistance,
 
I keep the memory hidden in my closed palm
the seed they have destroyed.
 
Each swollen wounds, shadows waving back
how small, how brief,
 
I never speak of it, the difference, the anomaly
something is too high for syllables to speak.
 
Because in truth, I want to walk, to open again
the fire of my own heart
 
I know this, everything is done to let in light
no stained glass in the old window.
 
Hear nothing else, feel the smell
see nothing else, shut my eyes, feel nothing else
a voice that forces me to speak.

Visual by Different Truths

Gopal Lahiri

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.