Bushra fears the divisive and communal world her grandson would inherit in this poem, for Different Truths.
In a world torn asunder
With hate, prejudice, and conflict
I gasp as I struggle to breathe
As vicious fumes of toxicity
Threaten to pollute
The air of normalcy
My eyes mist as I look at my babe
My newborn grandson, barely a month old
I run my hand over his head
Not quite rounded properly
Birthing stress, they had said
I gingerly touch the skin pulsing at the top
Wait a while, they had said
All will be fine.
But I worry, not for those reasons
I worry, ‘coz in this communally entrenched country
My grandson is born a Muslim
One day, he too will wear a cap
A skullcap
White
Crocheted
I freeze…
©Bushra Alvi Razzack
Photos by the poet
#Poem #Verse #Child #Muslim #Country #Priviledge #StruggleWithBreathing #SkullCap #DifferentTruths
Bushra Alvi Razzack, Founder of Delhi by Verse, loves weaving words, emotions and opinions while creating rhythm and imagery to make sense. Apart from being therapeutic, writing poems is her way of storing memories and recording events. Her articles on culture and society have been widely published. She has also translated short stories from Urdu and Hindi into English. She is the Editor of multilingual anthology, Dilliwali: Celebrating the Woman of Delhi through Poetry.
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