Terror Poem by Sadiqullah Khan

The evening after a long journey
Damp and old like the long dark scarf
With aroma of dust when it falls on the city
The walls though falling but had history
Of long years spent on this earth
The womb of earth that has given birth
To many loves and up in the sky on that darkness
Are written the lost scriptures of love
In those dark streets the lovers meeting glances
The aroma of earth has the smell of water
On the sky in the north smoke was emitting
Life it exuded with deep soft curls
Like the dancing girl in unconscious gaze
Following the curves of her hands

Terror broke in the evening’s mist
With dark draconian image
The softness of that black scarf
And years of love with stories
When thorns were thrown on the gathering
To escape was the sound heard
The smoke of life was replaced
With ashes when cold water
Flowed like cold blood into fireplace
A once paradise and when I wished
To be one with nature that evening
In slow fearful movements
And when my legs refused to move

That evening when I looked back
I saw a chain of tears in the eyes of that girl
8/10/2008