POETS' CORNER

There was a Door to which I found no Key:

There was a Veil past which I could not see:

Some little Talk awhile of ME and THEE

There seemed—and then no more of THEE and ME.

No XXXII, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, translated by Edward Fitzgerald

You

By Momina Hassan

I cling in to the memories

As I have nothing left, but them

They taste sweet

Yet they poison my heart

I am holding on tight

But I know you’re gone

Like the boisterous waves of the ocean

You left me alone

Like the rhythm of rain

You poured in my heart

Serenaded me

Then you left

I know you’re near yet so faraway

This segregation is inevitable

I have lost my way in an ocean of people

Where I wished

To find you

You’re gone

Still this heart yearns for nobody

But you

Bleak afternoons

By Mashaal Farid

Luring the talking head to sleep,

But the heart has reasons to weep,

Ah, it hurts so deep.

Why I still have splinters to keep?

The knots tangled again everywhere

Eyes are empty, crying no tear

And every laughter hurting my ear

What’s that I have yet again to bear?

Their questions are hard to answer

Any conversation onerous to follow

Words are lost again in the courtyard

Since when did breathing become so hard?

I bought happiness on chunks of loans

The old anxiety still resides in my bones.

To the one who left for heaven

By Zahra Zafar

If only I had known

I would have kissed you goodbye

But now that you are gone

I can’t do anything but cry

All our memories have turned into nightmares

Jostling me awake every night, breathless and scared

Is it bad that I can still

Listen to your voice inside my head?

Is it bad that I can still

Feel the warmth you always spread?

Numbing pain, engulfing sorrow

What should I do to make it better?

I met your mother a few days ago

She said she’s doing just fine

But I felt her searching for your reflection

In broken, dried eyes of mine.

Amidst this melancholy, I just hope you knew

How much we all adored and loved you.

Compiled by SK