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The Pencil


A witty poem by Soumya with an insight into human nature, exclusively for Different Truths.

2B or not 2B
That is the question.
Or maybe 2HB?
Difficult decision
I was an Apsara
Dancing on white sheets
Sometimes a Nataraj
In black and red beads
Perhaps a Kohinoor
Shining yellow hues
Or Parimal chetty
In saffron and blues
Sometimes I had an eraser
Stuck to my back
To rub out your mistakes
Alas, life doesn’t have that!
I used to draw your cartoons
And do some homework too
Used in battles as a weapon
Or as something to chew
I sent your little messages
To the girl in the first row
And played knots and crosses
With your back bench bro
But you fickle fellow
You abandoned me
Pen is your new favourite
And I’m forgotten, see
You only need me nowadays
To draw your sweethearts face
But what to do, I accept
It’s the way of your human race.

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths

author avatar
Soumya Mukherjee
Soumya Mukherjee is an alumnus of St Stephens College and Delhi School of Economics. He earns his daily bread by working for a PSU Insurance company, and lectures for peanuts. His other passions, family, friends, films, travel, food, trekking, wildlife, music, theater, and occasionally, writing. He has been published in many national newspapers of repute. He has published his first novel, Memories, a novella, hopefully, the first of his many books. He blogs as well.

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