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