In a city of lights
she wore a colorless dress reflecting their eyes
a book was seized in her hands
and the charm of her beauty ended its start
she was blind to their looks
that she remembered nothing of her face
they claimed that the lady seemed lost
but they misread her thoughts
they failed to learn that she was deaf
for the lines of her book were filling her ears
she continued walking as a fool under the drops of the rain
and her heartbeats obeyed the rhythm of a song she used to hear
her name was neither simple nor hard to learn
but nobody knew it expects the sorrowful chapter of the book she’d been reading
she continued contemplating on the way she was walking in
and a young man was portrayed in her imagination
she wondered if she ever saw him before
but no! The man was from the song she used to hear
his name was neither simple nor hard to learn
but it wasn’t mentioned on the lines of his song
in a sudden moment she craved a hug of tenderness
but she implored god to not be a man’s
the lady left at home a child to feed
and the echo of his cry hurt her heart
a man of her past had died in peace
and love forever leaved her heart
She was just walking with no target to reach
and the mean wind froze her delicate body
she could feel how it’s bleak to be deceived
by the untruthful sayings of a one day’s love
the coldness of the night brought her a desire to be hugged
and held in the arms of a man
the lady found herself in my words
and she implored God to not yearn for love
she looked back and saw a lighted candle
which flame lighted fire on her fears
she didn’t retreat nor she did show her fondness
to a flame that wrote the half of my words
on my way to reach her I heard the echo of their voices
when they told me to crush my desire to her inside my heart
they added that she’s dark, heartless, and mean
but their sayings couldn’t shake my concern of her
I reached her and I heard her lying to her heart
that she doesn’t want the man that wrote the words she felt inside
she was tied up with thoughts of love that died back in a year
when my words first touched the emptiness
of the papers of the book she was holding
with hesitation she didn’t know if she was ready to feel
for once again the feeling of a tender existence
I expanded my hand towards her and it caught her sparkling eyes
and she dipped into my eyes worrying about catching love in a sight
I handed her the candle but she declined to take it
but she passionately caught my hand and held it
and the start of an endless love came to an end
I handed her the candle for another time
and she looked fearfully in my eyes
and that was the look that once took my soul alive
so I threw my arms around her and hugged her tight
to feel her strength slowly leaving her body
I touched her hand with the candle and with no hesitation
she took it and slowly her fears were burning inside her heart…

By Abdelkarim Oubai