By Ali Ashhar
You are not the rattle of 1K likes
or 10K followers
You are the serene voice that lies
beneath the layers of soul
You are not the clutter of stereotypes
You are the melody designed by the divine
You are not the vessel that’s bound
You are the water that flows abound.
You are not what your
body hears around
You are what your soul
speaks from within
You are not the flicking
waves of time
You are the persistent
shore of the era.
Travel far enough, escape the ordinary of this world
On the other side, there’s a destined rendezvous with your universe.
Ali Ashhar is a poet, short story writer and columnist from Jaunpur, India. He is the author of two poetry collections: Mirror of Emotions (Notion Press, 2021) and Across the Shore (Zorba Books, 2024). He was chosen as the Best Debut Author for the year 2021 by The Indian Awaz and was the recipient of an India Prime 100 Authors Award. His works appear in Indian Review, The Raven Review, Wild Court International Poetry Journal and The Bosphorus Review of Books, among others.
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