new days, old crimes
after Kaveh Akbar
The word for world is forest yet all I
see is plundered earth in a bid to have
humanity people it. Green is has-been,
giving ground every day, retreating in so-
rrow. Litany of missteps, we are careless
in our transient custody, possessive with
our gift to posterity. The scales shift, the
(in)human acts pile together. Soon words
fall short, slipping through my fingers as I
grow restless: the earth remembers. Already
it quickens, a swan song to all that we have.
Notes:
1. This poem is an example of the Golden Shovel form, created by Terrance Hayes. The last word of every line comes together as a sentence or line usually taken from another poem (see below).
2. “I have been so careless with the words I already have.” Akbar, Kaveh. “Do You Speak Persian?” Calling a Wolf a Wolf. Penguin Books, 2017.
broken idols
god is a moan at the back of my throat
it refuses to die in spite of all that i do
the blessed blood of divinity is thicker
than these murky waters of your womb
the mouth that bestowed gentle kisses
is also the mouth quick to offer abuse
tendered at the altar of an uncaring deity
even if the toll is kin-ly sacrificial blood
light of your life become demon child
for errant dismissal of the man on high
it’s a serpent coiled, eating me up inside
this measured affection i cannot abide
i wear my faith as a brand on my chest
concealing apostasy behind steady face
ensnared i am in webs of maternal love
the doubts remain secret but never go
do not make pure obeisance a premise
for the bestowal of your stingy regard
it hurts too much to return to the fold
but i fear dying, hopeless and on my own
grant me reprieve, maker of my bones
cut this parasite from out of our lives
i request no saviour for the long night
happy to subsist on good graces alone
don’t hold me hostage, wretched i cry
to the canvas of your undisputed lies
i only wish to live always by your side
without feeble tears shining in my eyes
Areeb Ahmad is an Editor-at-Large at Asymptote and a Books Editor at Inklette Magazine. He likes to write about the intersections of gender and sexuality across texts. They enjoy exploring how the personal and the political as well as form and content interact in art. Most of his writing can be found on his bookstagram, a true labour of love. Their work has appeared in The Chakkar, Scroll, The Federal, Hindustan Times, and elsewhere.