Learning to Breathe

SUMMER RAINS I. The cruel heat of summer months Char the earth As it heats up, Burning Degree by degree. The air with gasses pollute The lungs, the heart, The inner soul. Dryness and death And cremation. Bodies burnt within seconds Of their long drawn birth. Summer prevails Year long, life long With no relief. Barren is the land, Seething in angst. The hope of Resurrection, Closer yet distant. Release is but a myth - Another legend from the Fancy of Man. II. But then welcomes man A cool breeze from the West, Bringing news of rain and shower And the fragrance of birth and love And the touch of green robes Brushing the skin. The lush spirits of the leaves Breathe life, Leaping from the boughs That once held them back. The sky is covered in a misty blue. Water kisses the land below Quenching its thirst, Soaking the very roots That once lost faith. No soul gasps - But each breathes in the air St...

DROUGHT There is no use, whining and complaining. You do not hear our meek, feeble voices. While you dance and rejoice in cool cascades, Burnt, barren - I lay on the blazing sand. Last summer did I harrow through the dirt, Digging deeper into my six feet pit, Sowing kernels I will never watch bloom - A meagre inheritance for my son What use is it now to keep that scarecrow? No yield remains for birds to snatch and steal. I have stood with my arms outstretched, waiting To be but denied by God's scavengers. So let me stand before this pleasant noose - A fertile ring against desolation. - Maryam Kaleem A late upload - dedicated to those farmers who have suffered due to the drought in recent years. Monsoon is here now, Alhamdulillah. I pray it rains enough. I pray our farmers live a happy, prosperous life. I pray they escape persecution. I pray they never have to take such drastic steps to have their voice heard.