The Gaol of Time

The blue ocean beneath,
And above in the air,
The creatures;
The one that walks,
The one that soars,
The one that dives,
All and sundry in a toil
Incessant,
To outlive the other.

Tell me…
Who will remain?
Who will triumph
The battle against time?
Our white hope like daisies
Exudes from a vacant arena
Full of the all-and-sundry.
Only in a gaol
Of time and its tricks.

____Muhammad Shahab.

Meandering

Meandering,
Among the snowy clouds
Up the North.

Riding the bird of desire
With wings of fire
Through the “sad heights”
And the gleeful tops.

Saw the angels from Heaven,
Deuces from Hell;
Tell stories of shivering thunder
Hades under,
And majestic The Spectre.

To pass on to those
Seeking solace
To breathe and boil
The turning toil
Unleash the coil.

Free your desire
Meander the clouds
To strive to find
To work and build
The edifice still.

                  ____Muhammad Shahab.