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Poetic. Unpoetic.: Mahek Khwaja

Mahek Khwaja has a Masters in English Literature and currently works in Karachi, Pakistan as Manager of Publishing at Paramount Books. Her works have been previously published with Hektoen International, Chicago, MIFS Newsletter, Paris, and Zau Literary Magazine, Karachi. She occasionally performs Spoken Word for private YouTube channels. This poem is about the plight of the modern poet.

Poetic. Unpoetic

From pigeons bred with love

That flied to unsung distances

With ‘real’ conversation tied to

Their salmon-colored feet

To prudent qasid;

The desirable messengers who

Knocked the door like

Cold spray of monsoon in

Harsh summers;

We now live in the age of

Fantastic electronic messages

Rapid, safe, brilliant.

 

Poetic. Unpoetic

Unable to pen out poetry

I slept to dream

Of rain and roses.

I dreamt.

I had been relocated

To another work space

The new work station has

Two glaringly yellow spotlights

On my head

Causing a cluster headache

And I write an application

To my Boss

For switching them off.

 

Poetic. Unpoetic.

I sit by my window

Devouring low-carb pasta

And I see my neighbor’s window

Through the wide opening

Of the dark indigo jeans

Soaking in my balcony

I see a middle-aged couple

The wife preparing supper

And the husband doing dishes

I see the ballet of routine

While slurping the last sheet

Of my food.

 

Poetic. Unpoetic. Poetic.


 

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