A poignant poem about Kolkata, by Gopal, exclusively for Different Truths.

I read night sky like the evening paper,
throw the meaning of seismic bumps out as they
lives outdoors.
 
Smoke swathed face of Kolkata fights in silence
bends and corners of the street riffling amid
the calm of the green boulevard.
 
The rhythmic beat of love and romance
Unspoken, fresh musk in your breath
my city shines apart.
 
Flocks of owls flutter away overhead after etching
white lines on the doorstep,
ignite the secret knowledge and souls within.
 
In thousand years
someone will say, the city can make you think
know anything, it will be true then.

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.