Thy bled, so did my heart.

Thy shed tears, so did my eyes.

No battlefield, no blood shed, no loss of lives.

But it was a greater battle.

Desire, the greatest enemy,

could neither be quenched nor achieved.

War was declared.

Desire has to die or else conquered.

Battle fought and lost.

It was death of desire.

Tears rolled down the cheeks of a mother. 

And the three year old exclaimed, “Mama have I done something wrong?”

“No, my dear, no. God’s will.” said the mother.

It was assassination of innocence.

But the heart was still beating,

and Hope was born.

A ray of light which took to untrodden path.

Desire of her mother had become hers.

Did not turn once,

and declared the war again.

Battle fought and won.

Enemy enslaved.

Desire achieved.

Thy smiled and so did I.

Her face lit and so did mine.

And spread the tranquility,

as she breathed her last.

“God’s will”, echoed her mother’s words.

Thy bled, so did my heart.

Thy shed tears, so did my eyes. 

…
Zahra Ahmad is pursuing MA English from Patna Women’s College, Patna University. She has experience of managing and teaching at a high school. She authored ‘My Stories’ vol. 1 and 2, which had an introduction by Bollywood film director Imtiyaz Ali. The books became part of regular curriculum for few years for primary classes in around ten schools of Bihar. Her articles have been published in local magazines and international journals. She has presented research papers at international and national conferences. Her recent publication includes poems in the June, 2021 issue of Setu Magazine, ISSN 2475-1359 and a research paper in Criterion Journal, ISSN 0976-8165.