Minimum wage at a sewing factory
the air thick with the smell of cheap dye
and the determination of making ends meet

raising three kids alone in a foreign country
where no one speaks your mother tongue

breaking down the wall of cultural restraints
so your daughter could pursue her dreams
giving her the freedom to soar
even if it meant caging yours

our favourite meals even after a long, hard day
the embracing aroma of spices as we enter the house
insisting you are not hungry
so we could have the last bite

falling asleep to the lullaby of your voice
reading through the crinkled pages of Urdu stories

your endless, fearless support as we grew up
if only we could see ourselves through your eyes

for what you have endured, words can’t express
your resilience, your courage, your love

-to the strongest woman I know

what is the boiling point
of the human soul?

**** me out this world in your spaceship
and let me be free
from the handcuffs of this materialistic sphere,
that drowns me in hardship.
Veer away till they're nowhere near.

Take me to a place afar,
where there is no hunger or war,
let me escape from this modern reality
filled with arrogance and negativity,

to a place where money doesn't matter
and dreams are not shattered.
Where only peace shines on
and there's love above all.

Impatiently waiting until we meet  

     To tell you about my own defeat

     When the lights goes out and i face my beast

     I end up alone without conceit

     It takes away my soul and feast

     Leaving me in empty bones and meat

     How much i tried without retreat

     I always end up like a drowning fleet

    Watching my realm crumbling at my feet

    Maybe you'd help me when we meet

    Despite the sorrows and the bittersweet

    For that is the only moment when i feel complete.