In this freezing wave of snow and cold,
I hugged the warmth of the unconscious little night,
again under the quilt crude,
and rose my head step by step,
rubbing the resistent eyes,
to drop in them awareness again,
with the weak whisp of dawn,
I stood on the cold and stillness,
and the frozen floor kissed my bare feet…
In this winter haze, and my trance,
the smokes blackened of my breath painted fog on the panes,
where from I peeped out,
to espy the outer sight and plight,
I rubbed the fog with dusted sleeves of mine…
There the snow falling like diamonds in rain,
the dancing balls in vertigo,
with the whizzing birds,
and gusts gushing hard through,
the static of me and my mind,
and the rest of frozen globe.
The occipitals enforcing for a fabricated warm night,
again in the bed of these quilts and dreams…
There I saw but, a last, aged pale leaf,
yearning for the azure above,
in the gravity, pulling to burry it below,
with its family fallen in battle,
but its strength of clinging to life,
on this swooping branch of a nude chinar,
frostbitten on numb roots,
the gusts gushing hard through,
to take away the breath of the LAST WINTER LEAF…
Right to left, up and down,
the winds try to frown the leaf and spirit,
in my swaying town,
right to left, up and down,
the leaf swirls like a mad wheel,
fighting back,
like the only man in a battle feild…
He knows, no life this pain to him can bring,
he awaits death, glorified like that of a king.
Right to left, up and down,
the winds try to frown,
in my swaying town,
the leaf and spirit,
right to left, up and down.
From the break of dawn to the smokefall,
right to left, up and down…
I went back to the bed of my dreams,
in agony, like an innocent theif,
and slept therein, with the tides of winds,
my mind binded still, with that LAST WINTER LEAF…
A silence chined on the himalayan snow,
next day I saw,
the leaf hanging still in pride,
awaiting beloved, like a glowless bride.
Days passed so,
so passed months,
the leaf clinging to hope still.
The prayers buzzing and dews in breeze,
raised the curtains above the azure so…
The motions right, up and down,
people who dont frown,
never breakdown,
like the leaf and spirit,
poured with life,
extoled by green…
The leaf merrily danced in unison,
with the baby buds and breeze…
I too rise at once now,
Victory of hope it taught me how,
Deaf to the winds and trancelike screams,
Infinite strength in the rosary of dreams,
No way I seep again like a theif,
Espying after ,
The Last Winter Leaf….
About the Author
Sadaf Masoodi is pursuing Bachelors in Media Studies from Kashmir University. An avid reader, a contemplator and an introvert, she is inspired by Alama Iqbal’s work. With a scholastic approach towards life, Sadaf penned her first poem when she was in 6th Standard. Besides poetry, she is interested in psychology, cosmology and other sciences.