teaching her to say rain & all things painful
Zain Ul Abidin Khan Alizai
say pleasure is a curse &
be over with it. i've seen
the pink scrape off my skin,
the fallen hair in the shower
like the bismillah on foreign tongues.
say shame is a best friend
like 'i'm alright' like 'i'll always be
by your side'. like an impromptu lie
yet tsunamis don't rage in deserts
& you can't leave in the dead of the night
when it rains.
say you don't love me
like a tumor locked in my chest.
like a roasting wick in rain,
like a soft moan &
i've ricocheted into you
with no reason. like how roadkill comes upfront
when you least want it. frozen
but my heart isn't, still burning
under the moon like ancient amber.
say madness like a kiss
like that soft spell i'm under
like that blooming orchard on the hill
like here. like there. like here & here & right there
everywhere. Everywhere.
about the writer
Zain Ul Abidin Khan Alizai is a seventeen year old Pakistani poet, regarded as the youngest published poet of the country. His works have been published in Shallow Oceans, Red Queen Literary Magazine, Rigorous Magazine, The Scene & Heard Journal among other places. His poems have also been a part of two Indian anthologies titled Fledglings and Bhor. He juggles his time between churning out lyrical word kisses, debating contests & balancing his life as an army cadet. His debut chapbook is in progress & he wants you to know that no matter what, it'd turn put to be alright!