There’s this atom
Of peace slowly sprouting
On the bough of my soul
& I will do anything, I swear
By Allah, to ensure its continuous
Proliferation. In the darkness
Of my life, I’d mastered the noble art
Of making sparks out of my frigid soul,
And the sacred art of cheering myself on,
On gloomy lonely streets I’d embraced
With an eloquent ease.
I’ve thrown outside the window
Of my muddy mind, my ancient doubts
And chronic worries, so be certain well-wishers
Never to behold those life-threatening
Frowns on my obsidian face again.
At a trade fair, held in my sleep,
Last night, I traded all the darkness
In my life for great luminous things.
Today, I’m resolute as a tropical storm,
The ungodly jury of my past will no longer
Have a say in the appropriation of my happiness.
I’ve started seeing life for what
It truly is, a fierce battleground,
And I’m no longer seeking an escape.
Today, I’m measuring my life with the sheer
Joy of juvenile birds navigating the wide-flung
Hairy chest of the ample sky without paying heed
To the existence of thunder and lightning
On their chosen path. Today, in the rattling silences
Of my fears, I’m defining my life
As the bright streak of light that emerges
Out of the blues in the midst of despair.
