A Prostration Poem by Sadiqullah Khan

Courage and human character
Shall have the last test, a composure
Beheld to disintegrate, from the part
To whole that the Nicomachean ethics
Wisely ignored.That in moments ahead,
A lasting example of legacy is set,
That shall go forever, remembered forever.
A prostration in a strange dream, when
A passing away, a last look to the mirror -
Surrounded by friends, like the last supper
Slowly feeling the skin peeled off,
Or arrows stuck on the flesh and soul
And the Buddha's posture of crossed legs
Or bowing to earth amidst heat of life.

Sadiqullah Khan
Islamabad
March 24,2014.

Arnulf Rainer, Begging (Prostration) ,1973-1975, Albertina, Vienna © Arnulf Rainer / Albertina, Wien. Photo: © Albertina, Wien. @ arttattler.com