day of judgement

By Pritheva Zakaria

 

the day my grandfather died 

it snowed for the first time 

 

sitting under a tree 

you read hymns from the quran 

and remember you used to have three in your pedigree 

 

when it gets warmer 

that’s when the real cold begins 

because while everyone is enjoying the sun 

you wonder what could have become 

 

the day my grandfather died 

we were terrorists at the hospital 

running down the harsh hallways 

they all wanted us to go away 

 

instead of chasing sleep 

i chase books to survive the week 

 

i try to find works my grandfather would approve of just like

how my hair is black again, something quite unheard of 

 

he used to be the tallest tree in the family 

but now his roots are underground, buried quite carefully 

 

i wish i believed in the same god he did 

so i can know he’s sleeping peacefully like a kid 

 

the day my grandfather died 

i think i might’ve seen god in his eyes