Three Poems | Zainab Raji
A Daisy’s Dilemma
A daisy came alive in summer
Had itself two daisies to either side
A cape father, a gloriosa mother
Its yellow disc was a beauty
Its white petals, a light
They opened by day and oft closed by night
Through rainstorms, through sunshine
It came in and out all its life
Green for a blanket
Blue for a sky
Faces for amusement
Bees for a ride
Many days, a dark cloud came
Many days, a dark cloud left
First, it took mother
Next, it took father
No mystery, it became that
Its journey too would be taken farther
A daisy’s dilemma is that it must go back to dust
A daisy’s dilemma is, it must be picked and plucked
I First Knew
(A Pantoum)
This, is when I first knew
You were made for me
And I, you
‘Twas once our being felt second to nature
You were made for me
The sun and moon agreed
Once our being felt second to nature
I could pass for Adam, you, Eve
Even the sun and moon agreed
You love me sweetly
And I, you
This, is when I first knew
Illusion of A Heart
Enter into my art room
But make not a sound
You sit, I see
You will have to rise
Build stamina for what you may behold
For I have pain where a heart once was
The red paintings scratch and bite
Come close at a risk that’s yours
The violet, though rich
Hides secrets of beasts
My black is not class
‘Tis ash
It is my grief hovering under and over
Watch where you step
Watch where you turn
My pain likes to linger
Leap and stick to passengers
Make not a sound
When you enter my heart room
Photo by Tobias Rademacher on Unsplash
Bio:
A graduate of Accounting and a former sales accountant, Zainab enjoys writing when she is not busy crunching numbers. Oceans in Your Lungs – a collection of poems that explores themes such as love, chaos and mental health – is her debut work. She lives in Northampton where she is currently working on her next book, a collection of poems inspired by life and its nuances.
