Poem

The City

After Faiz Ahmad Faiz's “Yahan Se Sheher ko Dekho”

Look
My city bedecks itself in fetters

The carefree walk
The careless talk

No more

The head held high
The feet unbound

No more

No more
I trust

Light from dark
Wine from blood
Joy from mourning

Flowers in my city
Wilt into the dust

by Anjum Altaf, who curates the The South Asian Idea Weblog, a learning resource for college students in South Asia.