The Colors of Love and Life
written by: Areeba Saqib
@arexba
She sat on the porch impatiently
fiddling with her little fingers,
awaiting her brother’s arrival
for he’d promised to take her to the carnival.
She’d curiously stared at him
hastily hand the bag of meat to his mother,
then drive off from his refuge
She ran down the street, barefoot in love
sincerely hoping to make him stay,
Instead, he flashed her a grin and said,
“I’ll be back in time, four eyes.”
She’d glance at the hour clock every now and then
desperate to hear the sound of his bike.
Seconds to her felt hours long
as she sat all decked up on the stairs.
No sooner did the sound of shrieks and cries
fill her little ears,
And she rushed to her sister
questioning the panic in her eyes.
“Has something happened to my aiyya?”,
she stammered softly, and repeatedly.
The confused voice finally broke out,
“He’s coming back, he’s coming back.”
Ecstatic to sit on the merry go round,
she stood near the gates to receive her elder one
But neither was he on his feet,
Nor in his consciousness.
Her innocent eyes stared once more
at her brother carried on four shoulders,
adorned in white cloth and red roses,
representing the colors of both,
Love and Life.
- Ambulance - March 18, 2022
- The Colors of Love and Life - June 28, 2021
