asma bahrainwala Poems

I am a well.
Confined by a wall;
Restricted by a boundary;
Stagnated by it all.
...

The blinding light
Of the brightest ever sun
Suddenly shrouded
By a thick pall of impenetrable darkness.
...

Emotions, images, ideas
Touch my mind
Like a plectrum touching
The strings of a lyre.
...

A mighty nincompoop
The presiding deity seated on
The canonical pedestal
Sways his scepter
...

A solitary stunted bud
In a barren garden
Of repressed desires
Parched to the core
...

Pebbles on the beach
Pierce through our heels as we walk
A mild price to pay
For the damage we subject
...

“A poet is a lunatic—
Beware! ”
This is what I encounter
Each day.
...

Your deep guttural voice
Sets each cell ablaze;
Your varied intonations
Evoke myriad passions within;
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The bright blue scarf of the clear sky,
The dazzling gold of the yellow sun,
The cold, tickling drops of sweat (on my hot brow)
Intoxicate me.
...

I was born
Free.
Free to fly high
And soar into
...