The sailor looks upon the horizon
Seeing a beautiful isle
Waves the crew to dock
Heading for the shore

As he reaches his destination
He sees sweet fruits
Tall trees and shade
And long elegant beaches

The sailor looks out
Back at the sea
Remembers his sense of love
But pushes it down with another drink

After time
The sailor cannot take it
And as nobody else shall leave
He takes a boat and makes way

Weeks later in the open ocean
Weak and dying, hungry and thirsty
He closes his eyes
Then a smile portrudes

My city feels like a prize
That’s how commercials play
They make it sound like paradise
Palm trees, beaches, sunset all day
The bigger the hotel, the higher the price
Doesn’t matter where you lay
You’ll feel like fire within the ice
The people will make you want to stay
But they just want the moving device
It’s money if you couldn’t tell, by the way
But come here, though, take the advice
There’s even a place to pray
And lots where you can sin. Twice.

i am sorry,
i am sorry that i just couldn't,
make sense out of it all,
i didn't realize,
that you wanted me ,
to call that sand castle,
buckingham palace of yours,
i am sorry
that i was such a fool,
for saving you from drowning,
without knowing,
you were the fish,
surviving in that ***** water,
i am sorry that i wanted to,
save you from darkness,
without getting a notion,
that darkness was what
you have been craving for,
i am just sorry that i could understand,
that your tongue addicted ,
to that cheap vine of lies,
had no taste for the holy water of truth...
_memoona kazmi

you are my
beautiful paradise.

when everything else in the world
feels so ******* wrong.

when the world comes crashing down
and I have to look strong

I know I don't have to in front of you.

If paradise had a name
A prism of the tongue
I would speak it to you, and hear
The tinkling laughter that bless'd the air

And clouds would hear my poem
And spread it through the rain
And eager faces turned to the spring
Would feel my words also

Chuckles showered 'cross the green

Sunny minds would face each other
And grinning, speak the words of meaning
What charmed thoughts would dot the village squares,
And sighing fields of this land

You'd bring that be
A conduit of mercy
A funnel of good will
What wonderful eyes you have that
Look into the skies with me

Close
But I can only see from a distance
A thick dense fog stands in between
I ******* wish to god I could see

It’s so beautiful over there
Somewhere I cannot define
The air is fresh
The grass is green
Paradise, as If I was in a dream

I walk through a war to get there
A ******, butchered scene
Still it feels like home
And I find it hard to leave


I thrive in the mayhem
but it does not benefit me
Set me free of my memories
I want to stay where the grass is green

Questers of truth
With mystical souls and mystery minds
Once in awhile need a rewind
Slowdown the pace
And seek for places and spaces that
reignite the spirit and water the soul
Seeking for places and spaces that speak peace and fill the mind with ease
Seek places and spaces that bring uttermost connection
A home away from home
A haven
© Sonia Ettyang