The Rose Of Herat Poem by Sadiqullah Khan

A decade ago, Friend showed me a splendor,
A rose in bud, in the ancient gardens
We lifted the mystery from around the gourd,
Blue tiled heights, mud columns touching skies.
We drank puff from the ‘salon', we walked the paths.
A decade later, the rose had blossomed,
Had tired the feet, and had grown wings
Then we talked of Baba Ansari mausoleum
The surrounding ruins, and with gold-tooth
The old lady smiled. A host was a guest.
And the rose of Herat, had grown two branches,
And in two nights and two days, the happening,
We breathed the air, and the presence -
Of the ancient city and the city of flowers.
We dwelt the rooms, roamed the corridors
Ate kebabs, and drank the enormous sparkle of water.
All humans are alike, all flowers, lily and jasmine
Smell the same. On every face is written an anguish,
Every eyes speak the languid, every tongue sings.
We had the moon shining over us, and autumn evening
We relished the bright sun and I traveled,
From past to present, from present to past-
The future, an invitation, a traveler's saga
This may take years, we shall not meet,
Only in Presence, I shall ask the health of her children.

Sadiqullah Khan
Islamabad
January 5,2015.