Anurag Chahal Poet Free verse

The Eighth Silence

THE EIGHTH SILENCE

Seven times
he called me son.

Once,
he did not.

A king left his throne
and went deep inside
for a poor woman
who had only said,
“No.”

One chromosome
less—

and somewhere
a scientist was born.

At the height of being worthy,
the attraction was gone.

To see her
became more
than intercourse.

One kept seeing—

until he was in prison.

A candle flame
never knew the stainless-steel spoon.

He searches always
for his desirable thing.

The object.

The light.

The electricity.

The enormous water
held inside the dam.

Raw.

And then—

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Beata Agustin October 8, 2026 at 5:55 AM Thanks for sharing this... exposing your thoughts through your unique poetic style. Welcome to Poetry Soup. I welcome you with the love of the Lord, expressed by John 3:16 of the Bible, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Be blessed.

Alison A Smith October 5, 2026 at 4:13 AM A striking, elliptical free-verse sequence: each fragment feels like a separate chamber of longing, refusal, damage, and awakening. The spare lineation gives the poem its charged silences—especially the title’s “eighth” absence—while images such as the candle and steel spoon, electricity, and dammed water build an increasingly elemental sense of desire. The movement from intimate hurt to philosophical intensity is haunting and beautifully controlled.