Without you

By Raihana Yusufali

Without you
I was the fallen star
Discarded with no honor
My fading light painfully pulsing in dark alleys

Without you
I was the ocean void of pearls
No longer roaring with the waves
Sleeping the sleep of the heedless

Without you
I was the drifting leaf
Falling fast, falling in grace

Without you
I was the rose snatched of its fragrance
A thorn in a delicate flesh

Without you
I serenaded the world with my vain song
Flung back my head
And let my hair flow
The passing winds carried my notes
Echoed back a sound -
a distant braying of a lost mule

Without you
I was the cloud with no rain
Puffed with pride and ignorance

Without you
I was the eyes with no tears
A cold face carved in ice

Without you
I was the rebellious wind
Blowing aimlessly
Laughing at the weeping willows
As they swayed in ecstasy

Without you
I was the moon that nobody glanced at
I walked when you walked
I stopped when you stopped
You were one of my many gods

Without you
I was the heart with no beat
Fiercely drumming
By day and night
A beat that did not rise

Without you, my Allah
I was the body that died
when you breathed life into me