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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