Photo by PiX Fav

She loved with a passion
that requires courage,
her heart a tiny bird
in her chest

Not for her
the robotic focus
of suited men
and painted wives

Or the false gods
of screens and cables,
the trappings of
human endeavour

Instead, she ran barefoot
through fields
and slept unafraid
under the stars

She read poetry
into the early hours
tangling her limbs
with mine

She never grew old
though lines spiralled
like cobwebs across
her face

Her irises were as clear
as the day she tumbled
into my life
and my heart

On the day she died
I held her in my arms
Azaan rang out
from marbled mosques

Church bells chimed
across hallowed oceans
the Raabi bent his head
over the book of the Jews

We sat in the fading light,
my name a simple prayer
falling from her lips,
each syllable a jewel

And I knew I was loved