Kushal’s poem describes a barber’s shop, a sanctuary of stories, where age brings inner darkness while the barber tells tales, exclusively for Different Truths. 

Hair rolls on the floor. 
The barber's nimble 
and calloused hand whooshes, 
spells and shapes the dark night 
on the head. The scissors' 
sharp edges catch the light, 
sparkle and blink amidst 
the bushes like the fireflies. 
In the foggy mirrors' reservoirs 
the electronic moon ripples. 
The gossip spills, and the room 
of a thousand perfume smokes 
another puff of eau de toilette. 
As I age the magic weakens. 
The necessary darkness thins. 
My night is deeper inside than 
outside. The barber's tales spin 
around the witch trials we 
have survived, nothing more 
than your daily battles.

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Kushal Poddar

Kushal Poddar, the author of ‘A White Cane for the Blind Lane’ and ‘How to Burn Memories Using a Pocket Torch’, has ten books to his credit. He is a journalist, father of a four-year-old, illustrator, and editor. His works have been translated into twelve languages and published across the globe.

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