Tag: Relationships
VERSE | DISTANCES
Eyes rheumy, ringed with grey
Stare at me, stare me down
But their old fire is gone
Almost gone … age-worn
I still shrink, but imperceptibly
Outwardly there is no sign
Of being pushed off the line
Off my center, intimidated
Bullied, silently hated
For that time. Those eyes
Still try to be
Windows to his reflection of me
Disappointing, different, so unlike
The version I should have been
I look back at him
Even as I feel my own agitation
Silently
Pull at my edges, wringing at them
Helplessly, I don’t want the drama
I’m too old for that now
He’s older but he doesn’t see
The futility, the lovelessness,
This rejection of me
I look away, back at my book
Quiet, stoic as calm as can be
Inside another little piece
Of closeness, affection, familiarity
Breaks off into the grey-ringed void
Of distances spanning an eternity.
VERSE | RINSE, RECYCLE AND REPEAT
I saw a tree lean in the wind
Its leaves tearing, bolting ahead
To sate the squalls that pulled at them
I thought of you
Of my blood careening in my head
My limbs convulsing for release
My lips struggling to appease
The ego that would sunder me
I saw the tree lean and lean
I heard its leaf-tortured scream
My insides churned with the memory
I turned away
I couldn’t stay
And watch nature take my dismal tale
Rinse it, recycle and repeat.
VERSE | A LOVE STORY
LISTEN TO THE POEM BEING READ AT: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSewAcj86/
When he smiles
His mouth curves up a little
Just a bit. The teeth don’t show
But sometimes a rare glimpse of ivory snow
Peeks through. Like weathered pages
From a book that has seen the ages
That has been loved, and also has
Been tossed around in the hands
Of those that loved it less
Now hiding its parchment yellowness
When she smiles
Her cheeks skip up, joining hands
With the crow’s feet at the corners
Of her eyes. Hands and feet
Join together in a wreathe
Its flowers have been abloom a while
Many now wear waning smiles
Just a few are waxing still
Of bountiful life taking their fill
When they look at each other
He and she
And they smile for all the world to see
The mouths, the noses and the cheeks
The enamel pearls, the crow’s feet
All fade away as eyes light up
Two sets of windows brighten up
Spangled pathways to twin souls
The radiant smiles reach deep inside
To gently touch two pages bright
Of a love story so new, yet old
VERSE | PRECIOUS DAYS
LISTEN TO THE POEM BEING READ AT: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSddVeUtc/?k=1
I’m sitting today at a new cafe
They bring me my tea in a beautiful cup
And a saucer to match. I catch
My breath. It reminds me so much
Of the tea set so loved
And cared for by your beautiful hands
Of the cups of tea that were sipped
In your company, by smiling lips
Listening to a conversation
Laughing at a joke
And your own tinkling laugh
I remember it, I choke
I remember so many late afternoons
Like the one that just pierced my heart
So many memories, tender and raw
Memories that flood in and then depart
Replaced by others, thronging along …
Like the one of you putting an earring on
My ear where the flesh always fused
Making it an adventure, a laugh a ruse
Or when you bit into an elephant’s ear
The pastry, the confection, the palmier!
The chemo still filling your vital veins
Dripping its disease-numbing potion within
You still grinned, your face came alight
You kept all the simple joys alive
And then I’m assailed by another memory
Of another cafe where you and I had tea
You sipped it slowly with your eyes closed
Your beautiful face in gentle repose
You smiled and I heard a contented sigh
And that smile from your lips reached your twinkling eyes …
Today, I’m sitting at a new cafe
But in my mind I’m with you on all those precious days.
Mahvash Mohtadullah 