Poem

Jameela Nishat

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A PYRE BURNT

A pyre burnt
day and night.
Who was it?
Of what name?
        A flood of shadows
        swirled around the mind,
        the pyre, fed by the oil of infidelity,
        burnt on, day after day.

The shadows waved,
were gulped by the fire.

She stood fixed.
Of a sudden
        long arms
        stretched out  
        and seized her
        and she gave herself 
        to flames. 

Who was it?
Who called?

A PYRE BURNT

Jameela Nishat

(India, 1958)

Born in 1955, Hyderabad-based feminist and poet Jameela Nishat is a significant presence in contemporary Urdu literature. She started writing poetry at an early age and has published three collections of poetry. She holds a Masters degree in English Literature and a post graduate diploma in theatre arts. She taught English for twenty years and headed a school for disabled children. Deeply commi...

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Poems of Jameela Nishat

A PYRE BURNT

A pyre burnt
day and night.
Who was it?
Of what name?
        A flood of shadows
        swirled around the mind,
        the pyre, fed by the oil of infidelity,
        burnt on, day after day.

The shadows waved,
were gulped by the fire.

She stood fixed.
Of a sudden
        long arms
        stretched out  
        and seized her
        and she gave herself 
        to flames. 

Who was it?
Who called?

A PYRE BURNT

A pyre burnt
day and night.
Who was it?
Of what name?
        A flood of shadows
        swirled around the mind,
        the pyre, fed by the oil of infidelity,
        burnt on, day after day.

The shadows waved,
were gulped by the fire.

She stood fixed.
Of a sudden
        long arms
        stretched out  
        and seized her
        and she gave herself 
        to flames. 

Who was it?
Who called?