Dotage Poem by Muhammad Shanazar

In memories of the bygone days
Wrapping herself in the worn out shawl,
Today love is going through
The life time detention in such a way
As if she is an aged woman.
Sitting in the cold of winter,
She warms herself beside the fading fire,
She rests her face on the support of her knees,
Its crinkles tell numerous fictions of the past,
She holds a crook stick in her quavering hands,
And with it she rakes,
And seeks for some buried ember.
The fire has doused since long,
Now upon the bodies of embers,
There exist white layers of ashes,
Just like white hair of the old woman,
As if
The mischievous youth with burning cheeks,
Has consumed itself and left them alone the too.

Written By Shazia Akbar
Translated by Muhammad Shanazar