by Fariel Shafee
That day was an ordinary day,
like any other day
under an August sky:
The coffee was as usual, and so was the cafeteria
burger.
We sat under the umbrella and we talked.
The couple in pitch black conversed next to
us, and several groups of students
sprawled scattered on the
grass.
That day was just
mundane,
and we talked
and we ate.
But those reckless words
were
unsafe:
Each wrapped with
denial,
like the dumplings on our plates were shrouded
with
deceiving white, and then
steamed.
And that day
changed us
irreversibly.
And now
I sit with you;
the sun is as it was,
--glowing red, and hot,
relentless above our heads.
Couples around us hum,
and
a solitary man
eats potatoes
and corn.
This day is just like that
day.
But
decades have passed in a jolt;
you and I look
defeated
and those piles of
rubble are high
between
like any other day
under an August sky:
The coffee was as usual, and so was the cafeteria
burger.
We sat under the umbrella and we talked.
The couple in pitch black conversed next to
us, and several groups of students
sprawled scattered on the
grass.
That day was just
mundane,
and we talked
and we ate.
But those reckless words
were
unsafe:
Each wrapped with
denial,
like the dumplings on our plates were shrouded
with
deceiving white, and then
steamed.
And that day
changed us
irreversibly.
And now
I sit with you;
the sun is as it was,
--glowing red, and hot,
relentless above our heads.
Couples around us hum,
and
a solitary man
eats potatoes
and corn.
This day is just like that
day.
But
decades have passed in a jolt;
you and I look
defeated
and those piles of
rubble are high
between
us
and our long lost
youth.
and our long lost
youth.
© 2010 Fariel Shafee. All rights reserved.
__________________________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fariel Shafee has worked
mainly in science, but enjoys writing and art. Her poetry and prose have
appeared in DecomP, Ygdrasil, Oak Bend Review, BluePrint Review, Skive, and many others. She has also exhibited art internationally. You can see more of Fariel's work here.
