Afaf Zulfiqar: Favorites

Feb 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

X

Feb 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

Ayesha

X

ask him, ask the moon,
the price he has to pay for
his eternity—

i dare not

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

I

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

Ayesha

I

a soggy old leaf
i slump onto the ground and
the crowd marches on.

i feel like screaming

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

II

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

Ayesha

II

cats fight, kittens fight
winds, bees, dogs and children fight
all fights inside me

and I can’t breathe

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

IV

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

Ayesha

IV

plaster of paris
i mould a little me and
she elopes with winds

the night is heavy

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

VIII

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

Ayesha

VIII

sheets swirl about me
pinning, crushing, they hiss, ‘don’t
leave; you’ll drown out there’

and my bed turns to water

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

VI

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

Ayesha

VI

i divorced myself
she took the child, the tulips
and me—she took me

outside, the city weeps

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

VII

Jan 2021 Afaf Zulfiqar

Ayesha

VII

gusts flip open a
book and sea comes barging out
i drown into me

i drown i drown i drown