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The Sound of Silence: A Poem by Lopamudraara Mallick

 


The hills of Kumaon sheathing Majkhali,
Majkhali- the majestic small hamlet.
The sound of silence echoing from Pindari’s Husband’s house deafens.
Inçarcerated slave to the hearth,
Pindari makes Singoris- the fragrant sweetmeat.
Very akin to the little cones-
Pindari is molded in the cocoon of patriarchy.
The elusive scent of cardamoms,
Analogous to her inexplicit sound of silence.
Unlettered Pindari expected to stay put,
Silently suffers obsequious servility.

Thousands of kilometers away,
In the urban complex of the asphalt jungle,
Bound in captivity is Vaani,
Fighting an inner battle of pandemonium.
Fear of stigma, shame, urban gossip;
She chooses to remain a tight-lipped wallflower.
Geographically polar, the sounds of silence bear similitude.
Agony minus voice is but tumultuous sound.
Pause and listen to the sound- 
The reverberating tinnitus!