Three Poetry by Yasmeen Hameed
ANOTHER DAY HAS PASSED
By Yasmeen Hameed, Translated from Urdu by Iffat Saeed
The smoky breath settles on the windows
once again, a city loses itself;
captive to the orbit of brick and mortar
I am the one alone on this perpetual stage of whirling time
seeping doubts creep
a flock of vivacious, gregarious females
leaps forward
geckos
looming towards me;
the heart burns in anguish,
scorches the flowery twigs
that blossomed in its orifice
a distrustful glance halts
stops short of the circuit of trust
once again inscribed in black and white
the charter of faith, special promise of love
renders itself into another contract
each leaf in the book of heart
is a witness
the book stands unread
scribble of the pen resounds
the voice of reason wraps itself
two names sunder and split
the long wait divides the terrain of the heart
winds break the silence
lights turn off
the household recedes into sleep;
another day slips past.
HAS MAN TRANSFORMED?
By Yasmeen Hameed, Translated from Urdu by Iffat Saeed
Household items like a mind, like some one’s corporeal self
became unholy,
freshly cooked food swept away in the open sewer
and the crawling animal on the ceiling
fell down on the floor with a thud,
a chasm broke through the wall
and she rushed outdoors.
Time at the end of day
is terrifying
Lights - light up and go off ,
nightmares planted in slumber
taint the day that follows.
Why do you scale epochs
by measures of days, months and years?
Who answered the prayers of suppliants
who spread out their palms in front of mythical gods?
Graves dug over a distance of a thousand years
remain the same,
and the rest - has it changed?
Has man changed?
Have his hand- made artifacts changed,
his weapons changed
or have the lessons in loyalty and treachery also changed?
How far apart is the world’s first lie
from the world’s last truth?
Has she been able to see through her enemy?
Civilization contoured beauty
on the face of the one at a distance;
abused and spat on the face of the one that came nearer
and filled its own lap with tears.
FREE ALL THE BIRDS
By Yasmeen Hameed, Translated from Urdu by Iffat Saeed
Let go
fling open the doors
free all the birds
these birds embody your being
your heart beats within them
your soulwithin them, lies agitated,
free them all.
The moment night falls,
in the flutter of wings,
all those tales
wake to life
that spin in your thoughts
resound in your ears
that you have written into being,
free them all.
Damp runs out of the thick dark,
tight shut eyes of the captives
remain awake, even in sleep
aghast with fear;
color their pale faces in gold
clad their cold bodies in new attires
free them all;
it is the last blood-circle
before the voyage of horror sets in
and icy breeze jams all shutters of life,
free them all.
