Afshan Shafi
The poem first appeared in The Aleph Review, Vol. 2 (2018); excerpt curated for the website by digital guest editor Dr Javaria Farooqui.
We began life you and I
as a child exorcist and her consort
you wore such a spectacular necklace of pebbles
and I an apron of electrodes
Our family left us in the museum for days
where we wrote operas for the statues
our poor melodies ringing out
against the whistling chasm
there was no one to see us to see us being brave
only the music of the fall
for you and I
beating with green thunder.
barren to a fault and judicious
we hung our heads amongst the prim da Vinci’s
fasted amongst the ceramic oceans
the bleeding crustaceans.
It is you and I till the edge of the steaming forests
they are rolling the land from under our feet the
bog-thick rugs
the bird-rich winter
Rake this chill heat
or hold it for a second
fawn architect.
Answer me a few, to impede solitude.
Afshan Shafi is an editor of The Aleph Review. Head to the Our Team section to know more.
Marjan Baniasadi is an artist from Iran, who studied at the National College of the Arts in Lahore. Her work has been featured in leading galleries and publications.
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