There is a nagging gnawing on the inside of my self
It’s the feeling of my body giving up before its time.
In the quiet twilight hours between one prayer and another
Once I prayed for health
Now I pray for peace.

There is a writhing moaning in the deepness of my heart
It’s the devil down within me who wants me to complain.
But I have built a fortress with the patience of my faith
And I will shelter there
However harsh the pain.


There is a desperate longing in the reach of my embrace
For life and love and happiness and gentle many years
But I shall fold my arms around the comfort of my prayer
And I may often cry
But never bitter tears.

-Zeba Khan