To a Lifelong River

By Faiyaz Takrim

O River! Glideth long in splendid pride,

With curves that shape the map of all I know. Thy wafting breath doth bend my years beside, Where moods do sail the age in gentle flow.

In winter's dawn, thou wear'st a silver cloak,

And passing through the valley's hush'd delight, Thy whisper wakes the hills with songs bespoke, A garnet sky unfurls beneath thy light.

Yet prideful waves conceal a silent ache,

Beneath the bridge, her silence holds me still. A heart that yields though knowing it may break, She draws the stars with every breath and will. And I, the valley, bloom with each tide's grace Forever chasing her ethereal trace.

By Faiyaz Takrim