In our country
A woman who writes poetry is considered a curiosity
Every man fancies himself as the addressed
And since in actuality it is not so
He becomes her enemy!
As such Sara Shagufta
Made few enemies:
Before she could marry a writer
She had already become the sister in-law of them all
Because she did not believe
In offering expletives
Every Tom, Dick and Harry claimed
She had slept with him
From dawn to dusk
Every unemployed hack-writer in the city
Bumbled around her
Even those
Who had jobs to go to
Would leave their tatty files and worn-out wives
And let her play in their hands
(Oblivious of electricity bills, children's school fees and the wife's medicine
For these were concerns
Of the lesser mortals)
All day long
All evening
So late into the night,
Incensed talk would ensue on literature and philosophy
When hunger struck
They'd all chip in and order
Bread and boiled pulse from the shack round the corner
Great dignitaries would then be offered tea
At her expense
They told her Pakistan’s answer to Amrita Pritam
Stupid gullible girl
She fell for it
Perhaps also because
Those responsible for her bread and butter
Always served her Kafka for tea
With Neruda biscuits
She survived
Their drooling compliments
But for how long
One day or other she would have to escape this panther prowl and these flattering
Connoisseurs of art
She had been nibbled away alive by
Sara went one step further and left the jungle itself!
In their symposiums
They still drool at her name
Except they can no longer eat her
For in death they have relegated her
To the status of Tomato Ketchup!
Author Bio:
Rehan Qayoom is a poet of English and Urdu, editor, translator and archivist. Educated at Birkbeck College, University of London, he has featured in numerous literary publications and performed his work internationally. He is the author of 2 books of poetry and several works of prose. He lives in London.
http://www.rehanqayoom.weebly.com
A woman who writes poetry is considered a curiosity
Every man fancies himself as the addressed
And since in actuality it is not so
He becomes her enemy!
As such Sara Shagufta
Made few enemies:
Before she could marry a writer
She had already become the sister in-law of them all
Because she did not believe
In offering expletives
Every Tom, Dick and Harry claimed
She had slept with him
From dawn to dusk
Every unemployed hack-writer in the city
Bumbled around her
Even those
Who had jobs to go to
Would leave their tatty files and worn-out wives
And let her play in their hands
(Oblivious of electricity bills, children's school fees and the wife's medicine
For these were concerns
Of the lesser mortals)
All day long
All evening
So late into the night,
Incensed talk would ensue on literature and philosophy
When hunger struck
They'd all chip in and order
Bread and boiled pulse from the shack round the corner
Great dignitaries would then be offered tea
At her expense
They told her Pakistan’s answer to Amrita Pritam
Stupid gullible girl
She fell for it
Perhaps also because
Those responsible for her bread and butter
Always served her Kafka for tea
With Neruda biscuits
She survived
Their drooling compliments
But for how long
One day or other she would have to escape this panther prowl and these flattering
Connoisseurs of art
She had been nibbled away alive by
Sara went one step further and left the jungle itself!
In their symposiums
They still drool at her name
Except they can no longer eat her
For in death they have relegated her
To the status of Tomato Ketchup!
Author Bio:
Rehan Qayoom is a poet of English and Urdu, editor, translator and archivist. Educated at Birkbeck College, University of London, he has featured in numerous literary publications and performed his work internationally. He is the author of 2 books of poetry and several works of prose. He lives in London.
http://www.rehanqayoom.weebly.com
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