My Dear Child

Samra Khan

April 2017
My light that I have yet to see
A dream and not reality,
I wonder if you'd like to live
The world has so much love to give,

The flowers when they bloom,
The sky with its stars and moon,
My mother; your Nani,
Her teary eyes, so shiny.

February 2018
My life that I have yet to live,
Myriad sacrifices that I have to give,
I worry that you won’t be safe,
The world is a scary place,

Nirbhaya that night,
Asifa was just a child,
Battered and bruised,
Scratched and abused.


April 2019
My breath that I have yet to breathe,
A destiny; not quite in reach,
I wonder if you’d like our home,
The world is filled with so much hope.

Spring after Fall,
Dusk fading into dawn,
Your first steps, your first cry,
Hatchlings drop before they fly.


June 2020
A part of my soul that I have yet to meet,
A dear friend that I can’t wait to greet,
I’m scared you might not make it here,
There is death everywhere,

Six feet apart and quarantined,
Caged humans can’t run wild,
Empty streets and brimming graves,
We’re all just pretending to be brave.

My daughter that I love more than life,
I want you and I don’t at the same time,
The world is the river drinking up the stream;
You; like a nightmare closing in on a dream.

This work has been published in Beetle Magazine's August 2020 Issue.