Posted on by Zoya A. Abbas

S H E L L Y

Shelly 

Two blue lines.

My heart was racing as I checked the test again.

Two. Blue. Lines.

One little head, poking out of the white blanket.

Six letters, S-H-E-L-L-Y. On the gift box label, left on my doorstep,

A gift for the baby, read my neighbor’s scrawly handwriting.

Two syllables, Mama, was Shelly’s first word. 

Fifteen books, I bragged to the moms around me.

Fifteen books and counting, on Shelly’s bookshelf.

I told them Shelly was made for great things.

Three months, the oncologist told us.

Three more months to the end of my daughter’s short life.

Three more months till the evil growing in her head would take over our lives, and end it.

Four candles on the cake. My daughter blew them out, ignoring the dull pain in her head.

10:18 PM, time of death.

2014-2018. Here lies Shelly. 

This poem was featured on Kentucky Arts Council’s Facebook page to celebrate Kentucky Writer’s Day. Check it out!

https://fb.watch/5w8_eox-1R/

Posted on by Zoya A. Abbas

Me Without An Idea

Me without an idea

An idea without a thought

A thought without a brain

A brain without a human

A human without a home

A home without a fireplace

A fireplace without wood

Wood without trees

Trees without plants

Plants without the sun

The sun without the day

The day without night

The night without stars

The stars without a sky

A sky without clouds

Clouds without rain

Rain without grass

Grass without cows

Cows without milk

Milk without cats

A cat without a dog

A dog without bones

Bones without a body

A body without a home

A home with me

And me with no time.

-Zoya

Posted on by Zoya A. Abbas · 4 Comments

The Greedy King

The king sat on the table for a breakfast he liked most,

he ordered scramled eggs and ham with cherry jam on toast.

He also ordered six cakes to see what the baker bakes,

Then he added chocolate sauce and gave a little pause.

He walked to the garden wth the sun shining on his face,

But coz of the amount he ate, slowly weakened his pace.

Alas! He tripped and fell in a hole,

and as he hit his head he thought of food more and more!

Posted on by Zoya A. Abbas

The Lonely Lantern

“Said the solders to his men ‘lets go near the river’,
The war was on, blood was shed and masses would shiver,
To Mekong they went, tired they sat,
In the water went a lantern all lit,
It bobbed and swayed and dipped along,
It reminded the men of a beautiful song,
They thought of the days gone by,
When the mothers wail and the children cry,
War brings pain and misery all around,
Let the peace and happiness of this world abound.”