Tag: literature

Utter desolation

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment

16/05/25

How the wind blows!
How the heat grows!
How evil festers!

Every delightful dish
Every mouthwatering speciality
Every tasty treat

Available from your fingertips…

And yet,

Not enough to feed
Not enough to quench
Not enough to save

Those babies.

Who has caused this famine?

Global warming?
Climate chaos?
Sometimes…

But this time,

Wolves remain unblemished
Waves of heat remain peaceful
Wisps of wind remain unchained

Our hands must be blamed.

Indifference
Carelessness.
Reckless hate

You and me
Them and us
All of us.

How can we eat?
How can we drink?
How can we waste?

When babies are silently dying of hunger.

Where are you my brother?
Where are you my sister?
Where am I lost?

Must our hands remain chained
Must our brains remain dazzed
Must our soul remain weighed

By our own lingering hell?
This greed inducing machine!

Unabling us to act righteously
Distracting us from thinking morally
Preventing us from feeling compassion.

If all the chaos settled
If all the roar faded
If all those screens dimmed…

I must believe that

We would stand as one
We would rise as one
We would cry as one :

Not in our name
Not in our watch
Not in our lifetime.

No more.

Didn’t we say it before?

Never again.

The wind scatter frail buds
The heat weakens old barks
Evil feasts deep from the roots.

Leaving desolation

Where a tall forest stood
Where a lush forest grew.
Where a deep forest grew.

Desolation.

Razed to the ground.
Bulddozed into dust.
Flatten beyond recognition.

Utter desolation.

Why do you ask me which tree?

All are linked
As we all are.

All are part of the world
As we all are.

All are spreading
As we all are.

One falls
And we all fall.

And yet,

I feed my baby until she sleeps.
I eat until my stomach is filled.
Even my cat is content…

While those babies starve,
In complete indifference.

True to my soul

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment
17/04/2024

In this trouble world of

Constant noise
Constant delusion
Constant confusion

Selling this
Stealing that
Sealing us

Into beings that consume.
Into beings that are consumed.

By greed
By belongings.
By plastic.

In this world —-

Can you still listen to that melody?
Can you still listen to that song?
Can you still listen to that silence?

That only belongs to you.

A song,
A hymn
A sign.

None but you can hear it.
None but you can decipher it.
None but you can own it.

Own that voice,

As it lingers
As it grows
As it flies…

Beyond your reach.
Beyond their reach

Beyond…

Honor it.
Enrich it.
Believe it.

It’s your own treasure.
It’s your own essence.
It’s your own scent.

Some may hear echoes
of their own heartbeat.

Some may see shadows
of their own selves.

Some may breathe hints
of their own breath.

And in this invisible web
we are connected.

And in this ethereal web
we are connected.

And in this timeless web
we are connected.

In your breath
In my breath
We are connected.

In our presence
In our authenticity
In our oneness.

Far from the turmoil
Far from the torments
Far from the torrents

of modernity.
of monstrosity. 
of mummery.

We remain true to ourselves.
You remain true to your heart.
I remain true to my soul.

Together again

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment
07/04/24

There is an open gate
Waiting for you

There is a softer path
 Waiting for you

There is a blooming garden 
Waiting for you.

For every angry word
I plant thornless roses.

For every bruise on your heart
I plant a deeply rooted tree.

For every day without the warmth of your heart
I plant a fragrant bush.

The pain that boils over
This anger that burns over
The betrayal that rots over

All over those memories
All over those ties
All over those paths

Turning a garden into a furnace.
Wild fires raging through.

Turning an open palm into a fist.
Oil spilling over the ocean.

Turning a healing word into an accusation.
Nuclear waste seeping into the earth.

Breathe in.
Breathe out.

Let the fires die down.
Let pride melt away.
Let your heart open…

Into that luxuriant garden,
That I know.

Into that balmy sun beam,
That I have always known.

Into that dawn chorus,
That I shall always know.

Beyond the veils of a hurt ego.
Beyond the roar of a broken pride.
Beyond the huffing of an unsure heart.

There is a presence.
There is a heart.
There is a boy…

Whose laughter always invite my own.

I shall wait,
Until ashes give way to saplings.

I shall wait,
Until the waste gives way to cornflowers.

I shall wait,
Until the uproar gives way to peace.

The gate will remain open.
The path will remain thornless.
The garden will remain blooming.

And our hands will meet again.
And our laughter will mingle again.
And our hearts will burrow together again.

Together again.

Let spring raise the forest once more.
Let the birds nest in the forest once more.
Let hope echo in birdsongs once more.

It’s a promise,
It’s a plea,
It’s a prayer.

Together again.

My step never faltering

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment 
All my songs are about the path
All my sighs are about the path
All my steps are on this path

Whirling
Winding
Wandering

Seasons flitting by
Years rushing by
Faces fading by

My step never faltering.

Smiling, as I say goodbye.
Teary eyed, as I say welcome.
Breathless as I grow new lungs.

Ever changing
Ever breathing
Ever growing.

Dear brother
Dear sister
Dear friend

Are you close?
Are you here?
Are you lost?

I can still hear you.

My step never faltering

I cannot linger
I cannot wander
I cannot turn back.

They told me in a dream
They told me in a song
They told me in a story

About the dangers of turning back.

And yet,

I keep your words in my heart.
I keep your smiles in my heart.
I keep your heartbeat in my heart.

This new home I build
This new life I weave.
This new path I cleave.

I carry it on my back.
It carries me on its back.

A home that grows with me.
A home that walks with me
A home that changes with me.

My step never faltering.

Your echoes guide me
Your echoes gladden me.
Your echoes call me.

Will you forget me?
Will I forget you?
Will we cross path again?

I hope
I pray
I know

In this world or the next,

Kindred souls
Loving souls
Compassion souls

Always find each other again.

On we go
On and on we go.

Our steps never faltering.

Speck of Dust

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment
31/08/23
Time can erase
Canyons of anguish

Time can ease
Valleys of sadness

Time can appease
Oceans of loss.

How easily each continent forgot…

The wear and tear,
The erupting crust,
The burning forests.

After all,

Nothing is created
Nothing is lost
Everything is transformed.

From ashes, fuel.
From fuel, fumes.
From pain, wisdom.

Forever spinning around the sun,
Forever greeting the full moon,
Forever clinging to this system.

Forever until time…

Holds still.
Crashes down.
Rises up.

And we are free from this yoke.

Seasons dance away.
Days whirl away.
Waves cower away.

Only to return.

And that thread remains,
Doesn’t it?

And that connection remains,
Doesn’t it?

And those memories remain,
Don’t they?

But what do they mean to you?
But what do they mean to me?

Ask the Grand canyon about
How mighty used to be the Colorado river.

Ask the Appalachians about
How close was the Caledonian range.

As the continents about
How safe Pangea felt.

Ages pass by
Seconds trickle by.
Lifetimes fade by.

And what is left of those times of closeness?

– That illusion –

Scars like ridges, mountains and summits
Dark circles like steep slope edges
Shadows like volcanic ashes

Spreading
Scattering
Fading

Who remembers Tambora’s destruction, anymore?

Other than the mountains,
Other than the oceans
Other than the fossils?

Frozen in time.
Stolen in time.
Beholden in time.

Yet,

We are not set in amber.
We are not buried in ashes.
We are not covered in dirt.

Our limbs are free,
Our foliage is bright,
Our sap is fast.

We are given seasons.

To live,
To mourn
To forget,
To remember.

To live, again.

Renewed
Transformed
Reborn.

But,
What of the past?

Those leftover of supernovas,
Who create new solar systems.

Those ashes of forgotten creatures,
Who feed those ever growing trees.

Those sunken mountains,
Who harbor precious metals.

Weaving the past into the future.
Weaving the future back to the past.

Interwoven
Interlaced  
Interchanged.

What will remain, tell me?

Of those fleeting feelings –
Of those lingering senses –
Of those fading ghosts –

What will be forgotten, tell me?

I see you clearly now.

A speck of dust.
A melacnholy thistle.
A dust of gold.

Nothing much to hold
but enough to speculate.

And yet,
Unforgettable.

Wastelands
Forgotten lands,
Sinking lands.

Let them vanish.

Let a new world rise.
Let a new days rise.
Let a new star rise.

So bright
So warm
So earnest

Blinding us to the past.

Patience, my dear

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment
22/08/23
They say summer will never end.
They say this heat will never end
They say this this wait will never end

But I've seen my friendly robin.
But I've heard my loyal robin.
But I've felt my gentle robin

He told me,

Autumn is in the air.

The flaking oak
The drooping aspen
The wilting hazelnut

Have told me,

Autumn is in the air.

My tired limbs
My heavy head
My thirsty skin

Have told me

Autumn is in the air.

And yet,
This heat keeps on growing

Like a baking pie
Like a deadly disease
Like a scalding punishment.

Another almost cool dawn
Another balmy morning
Another sweltering afternoon.

They call it a dome of heat

Doomsday, rather.

The grass is scorched
The earth is scarred 
The forest is scattering…

Limb after limb
Leaf after leaf
Tendril after tendril.

Before a wildfire can reach them.

Another not yet warm breeze before the roaring oven of afternoon.

Don't forget,

Water for the plants
Water for our hands
Water for the birds.

Water, 

Every precious droplet,
Like diamonds.
Every healing drop,
Like pearls.
Every  surviving moist,
Like gold.

This is our season of waiting,
My love 

Soon,
Autumn will come.

Soon,
The heat will subside.

Soon,
Our hands will be joined.

Until then,

We must cling to a cooling hope,
We must cling to a shady rest.
We must cling to a breezy prayer.

That we may see the end of this scalding summer.

That we may reach that next step of fulfillment. 

That we may reach that cabin in the woods.

And pray,

The fire doesn't reach us.
Impatience doesn't mislead us.
Fatigue doesn't overwhelm us.

Patience,
My dear.

The return of the gardener

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment
02/08/23
The wolves are back.

Roaming
Perusing
Owning

Knowing no borders.

Lock your doors,
Close your shutters,
Draw your curtains,

And let them roam…

As that brave soul steps into a new world.

Beyond the sea
Beyond the mountains
Beyond the woods

How far he has walked.

Never to turn back
Never to run back
Never to look back.

It's destiny;

Written in that Book
Written in that hand
Written in that horizon.

That land he has crossed into
That land he has been invited into
That land he has set camp into

Was once so lush
Was once so green
Was once so fragrant.

Oh so very wild!
Oh so very pure!
Oh so very fresh!

A sight to behold!
A sight to cherish!
A sight to protect!

Vulnerable
Free
Pristine.

But it was discovered…

By the wrong eyes.
By the wrong heart.
By the wrong hands.

Pillaged.
Emptied.
Sullied.

Until that magical kingdom was bereft of its beauty.

The invaders left
The usurpers left
The pirates left.

Autumn covered the earth
Winter swept through the woods
Spring sprinkled the fields
Summer flourished across the orchards.

Once
Twice.

Will they return?

Fear in the mist
Ghosts in the marshes
Memories in the ponds.

A newcommer.
A wayfare
A stranger

Will he destroy?

The land was quiet.
The kingdom was bare.
The fields were waiting.

Tendrils after tendrils
Pebbles after pebbles
Drops after drops

He gave new life to this silent land.

No conqueror here

A gardener
A tender
A protector

Of all this is fair
Of all that is pure
Of all that is gold.

Lest my heart drowns

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment
21/02/23

There is a balance in nature
There is a balance in my heart
There is a balance in our existence

Today,
I sowed a bulb
I discarded dead leaves.

Today
I cast off a dream
I planted a prayer.

Today,
We trembled with deadly anguish
We took a deep calming breath.

How does the world not collapse?

When there is so much joy?
When there is so much horror?
When there its so much magma?

Bubbling and breaking through
Burning and seeping through
Melting and rising through

Breaking the crust of the earth
Breaking the hearts of humans
Breaking the heart of cities

And leaving only rubbles
And leaving only silence
And leaving only dust

And terrible cold
And terrible hunger
And terrible wounds

Will they ever heal?

My heart shivers
My soul rises
My thoughts stagger

And yet, here I am…

In a peaceful land
In a yet standing house
In a thriving city.

What will happen tomorrow?

Only the Creator knows
Only the Destructor knows
Only the Transformer knows.

He,
Who gives us life.

He.
Who takes us back.

He.
Who changes our state.

My loss are but pebbles to theirs.
My pain is but a shadow to theirs
My longing is but a whisper to theirs.

How can I complain?

And yet, 
He litens.

And yet,
He gibes.

And yet.
He guides.

He is always here.

And none of my words can express
And none of my words can encompass
And none of my words can capture

Who He is.

Even the words I use now
Even the pronouns I use now
Even the attributes I use now

Are limited.

And I call myself a poet…

How can I express what my souls see?
How can I express what my heart perceives?
How can I express what my mind cannot touch?

Do you hear Him
Do you feel Him
Do you see Him

In my words?

Or are they just empty utterance
Or are they just clever delusions
Or are they hollow sentiments

Do they mean something?

And yet I try…

To draw from the well of my soul
To call from the depth of my heart
To reach beyond the limits of my being

To find some balance.

And with words,

Create a rhythm
Create a lullaby
Create a litany 

To keep me sane.
To keep me calm
To keep me balanced.

Lest my heart drowns me in despair.

A way back

~ Layla ~ 1 Comment
16/02/23
So many voices swirling around
So many sounds dashing about
So many screams darting about

Too much - Too much!

Too many images flashing about
Too many photos lying about
Too many selfies cluttering about.

Too much - Too much!

So many lies published here.
So much slander written there.
So many ideas twisted about.

Too much - Too much!

How can we find rest here?
How can we find peace here?
How can we find solace here?

And yet, we cling on

To those screens
To those devices
To those boxes

Thinking through them
Living through them
Loving through them

And leaving a legacy on it.

Something to be erased
and forgotten.

Something to be discarded
and forgotten.

Something to be shared
and forgotten.

Lost.

So much time wasted.
So many feelings lost
So many words hollowed

Written
Edited
Shared

until it doesn’t mean anything.

Lost in the froth
Lost in the surface
Lost in the illusion

How can they ever swim into 

The velvety depths
The ever moving immensity
The eternal circumambulations

How can they understand it?
How can they feel it?
How can they belong to it?

When they are amused
When they are focused
When they are taken

By the sparkling bubbles on the surface
By the shattering clutter on the surface
By the swirling waves on the surface

Utterly lost to them
Utterly melded to them
Utterly maddened by them

Becoming a host
Becoming a slave
Becoming a servant

Of those little rivulets
of distraction

Of those little droplets
of sensation

Of those little dribs
of devastation

So intensely focused
So deeply encroached 
So utterly enslaved

By nothingness.

Am I one of them?
Will I be one of them?
Are you one of them?

Can we still pull away?
Can we still run away?
Can we still fly away?

Beyond these veils of delusions
Beyond these veils of illusion
Beyond these veils of addiction 

And find our way back

To sanity
To stability
To serenity

Back to

Our Healer
Our Protector
Our Creator

– The Source of it all.

Who are you?

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment
15/02/23
There’s a mirror in front of me
There’s an echo around me

Reflecting back my own self
Echoing back my own words…

With a hint of something else.

Hello !?
 Is there’s someone out there?

Someone that I understand
Someone who understands me
Someone like me.

Oh that looks so familiar.
Oh that sounds so familiar.
It must be home.

I hold out my hands
I open my arms
And I hold for dear life.

Finally.

And the dream fades away
And the ghost slips away
And the  apparition runs away.

Leaving me scattered.
Leaving me northless
Leaving me breathless.

Filled with questions…

Who are you?

When you are not pleasing someone.
When you are not echoing someone.
When you are not mirroring someone?

Who are you?

When you are not hiding yourself
When you are not painting yourself.
When you are not imagining yourself?

Who are you?

Questions
Echoes
Silence.

You don’t even know.
You don’t even wonder.
You don’t even dare.

And yet,

There’s a spark.
There’s a whisper.
There’s a rhythm

In your heartbeat
In your gaze
In your soul

That mesmerizes me.

Who are you?

When you are not behind a screen.
When you are not lost in translation.
When you are not behind a smart quote.

Who are you?

Intrigued,
The cat is trapped.

Intrigued,
The bird is caged.

Intrigued,
The wolf is killed.

All that remains is…

A fur-less creature
A skin-less nymph
A coat-less beast.

Still,

Feathers can grow back
Fur can grow back.
Skin can grow back.

Regenerate.

And a soul is indestructible. 

Grow
Glow
Go

On and on.

But what of those

Whose souls are tainted
Whose souls are lost
Whose souls are torn

What of those poor souls?

Who are you?
Without knowing your soul.

Who are you?
Without cleaning your soul.

Who are you?
Without mending your soul.

May you find healing.
May you find safety.
May you find peace…

With the Creator.

Who knows my soul.
Who knows your soul.
Who knows our end.