Draped,
in a long sleeve
shirt,
to cover the evidence


And painting an expression
of contentful bliss

But it is simply an illusion
for the sake of others


Denial the easiest act to employ



Crimson tears stream down
and pool on the floor

A slight shudder
from the sting of the razor’s kiss


Momentary reprieve
from the turbulance in her mind

This pain her only time of joy



But the outside world only sees
the smile on her face


A subtle attempt to make it seem
like nothing’s amiss

Her false expression
of happiness forever a burden to her

Because no one wants a broken toy…

I'm glad you're my friend

A shoulder to lean
A crutch to stand
A dwelling of respite
And the dawn's first break of light

I hope to give as much as I take
Laugh with you and cherish
To face what comes side by side
To be silent comfortably on those long car rides

I can never be angry at you
No matter my efforts
A smile from you is all it takes
A cure to my recurrent mental aches

In an unfulfilled life, your company is contentful

But

Like a poisonous nightshade blossoms
The fruit of friendship ferments
Forms into an intoxicating sweet wine
Drunk from it, my mind is realigned

I don't want to be friends with you
"Friend" is such an evil word
It brings so much yet restricts all I care for
A false comfort when one longs for more

So perhaps I must go
To some distant desolate escape
To myself, I must be true
I have to save myself from my love for you

I hate that you're my friend

Infamy
Shunned liked a hermit
Recluse heart
Wallowing in alienation
Afflicted with vex
Persistent feeling glued to his thoughts
Wierd

     Tardy when the revelation dawned
Irresistible and irreversible feelings
Lustful eyes in a fine frenzy rolling
Doth cursory look at a he
Sets off unanticipated  secretion of testosterone
And tingling sensation between the legs
He is trapped inside this ****
Abnormal

    Sitting is a herculean  task
Unendurable pain
Yet it feels contentful Hence from the commencement
Inclination engulfed his life
Leading to a point of no return
Addiction

Face obscured behind shroud of his palm
Face wet with overflow of tear
Pain saturated query
In this world why forth was he brought
The pain don't drown the dejection away
Desperate

  Dark corner
Alone afraid howling out
Emotions colonizing his brains
Slowly he strips down to his birthday suit
The ghoul in the mirror is nothing like he used to be
Wasted maimed by sadism
An emblem
A permanent tatoo of the wicked life he chose
   Abomination

In the Nahi house, they wed in nineteen ninety seven
Chilly and brisk on an Autumn day,
it was hard to know it on the inside,
their faces glowing like that of heaven

Rokh & Nahi, looking of young Hollywood,
a beauty in a photo
resembling one of Nahi's mom and pop's,  
my sister T figuring it would
No thought in their guests' minds,
this is not going good

Intimate, lively, and buzzing the atmosphere,
People happily conversing, many one on one
I overheard big brother joking with Nahi about you're gonna get some

I wonder now what were the parents, one of Rokh's high in the skies
feeling
as they witnessed the coming together of their daughter and their son
Echoing Grand Nahi,
Bryan would say,
You're not two people
Now, you are one

In these modern times,
many married couples don't last
because of their self centeredness and superficiality
Hopefully in each other,
RokhNahi have found peace and tranquility,
not to mention, namaste

This twosome's souls,
sweet as Nokesville's Pumpkin Pie
and that I can assure you, is the truth and no lie
A wedded pair I can understand
because their love is still saying, Yes, we'll make it land

Like the communion between lovely, white doves,
I'm guessing in their rural nest, there's little push and shove
Mr. & Mrs. a many years,
one tarot card's telling
a contentful matrimony with few tears

Surely in their twenty three year span,
they've been tempted to eat from the forbidden tree
with all of its lustful allure and ornaments calling Rokh or Nahi
Their commitment to God stronger than their commitment to each other
has kept them from dropping to a level of single me,
and Wow, from falling, two apples quickly from the tree

Twenty three years, I'll always be right there
Two kids later,
we think they'll make it to their rocking chairs

Happy Anniversary, onward to planet Mercury
These going strong astronauts are traveling fast,
Allah willing, they'll continue moving on full blast

RokhNahi twenty three,
a long standing he & she
The road to their future
is complementary, free
and for happily ever after now,
each toast to we

By: Najwa Kareem