Hope of Despair

 ¹

Emily Dickinson wrote,
"Hope is the thing with feathers

that perches in the soul.
And sings the tune
Without the words,
and never stops at all."

 

With this news calamitous

With this murder heinous

My country falling to pieces

I searched for that sound in me

And I saw the bird spreading its wing.

Is it going to fly away
With this vicious clapping ¹

From the perch of my soul?

And that tune

That had constantly played

And kept that chamber

Filled with echoes
I hear no more
With all this clamor and roar.

 

And maybe I want to pray
But my heart is so numb
That when I want to say
From my lips no words come

Mutaal Mooquin:

Dec 27, 2007.

(Inspiration by a quote of Sultan Bahoo and comment by Nikhat Riaz at Chowk.com as a reaction to the news of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination:

1."Taadhee maar assan na uda bahoo, asein aape udh jadna ho"