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Roopali Sircar Gaur, Ph.D.

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH


That day I committed perjury

I didn’t speak the truth

To tell you the truth

I didn’t speak at all.


Your oath madam

The court –clerks rasping voice

echoed an indiscernible sound.


my silence , compelled

The magistrate, a woman ,

with kindly eyes to ask

“Do you want a divorce?


“Yes ! I want a divorce” .

It was your cruel voice

which sounded

the death- knell


Shame faced I stood

At judgement’s door

While alien ears heard

The lie of our long

incompatible life .

alien eyes witnessed

the walls of our home cave in

as brick by brick the lawyers

clever words

pulled it down.


roofless, I shivered

as icy winds

scattered our lives

and those of our children.





Roopali Sircar Gaur, Ph.D. is a poet, writer, academic and social justice activist. She taught English and Creative Writing at Delhi University. She has featured in peer-reviewed journals, and edited anthologies.Her poetry is archived in the Stanford University Pandemic digital archives. Co founder of Saraswati Ezine for Literature and Arts and Poetry Editor for AWS Ezine, a columnist for E Journal Different Truths. She is consulting editor for Different Truths and Director of The Backyard Book Club.

She lives in Meerut, India with her Veteran military spouse and three rescued dogs.


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