The Life by Lareena Abdul Haq Poem by Lareena Abdul Haq

Truth's legs
were long indeed.
It has become customary
to travel quickly
before locating
the destination.

The body was slick,
natural and lithe,
invoking tender memories
to rise.
Grief rolls up
into a shell laden snail
covering that.

The dream coloured
butterfly
has lost its wings;
may have shed them too.

Rain pours from umbrellas.
Silence rains from voices.
Light dissolves in air.
A drop floats in the eye.

To live a life of contentment,
I strangle the grief in
the slowly weeping voice.
The day dawns.
Venus is up.

Translated by: Sri Vatsa