SHOUKAT LOHAR

Shoukat Lohar is Assistant professor in English at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro. He can be reached at Shoukat.ali@faculty.muet.edu.pk

An elegy for Fatima!

In Sindh’s mansion, a tale of sorrow spun,

Fatima, fair maiden,

Now forever gone. Mysteriously taken,

Her life unjustly torn,

The pillars of that house in turmoil were worn.

Her name, a melody on lips now stilled,

A heartrending elegy, a void yet unfilled.

Molestation’s horror, a pain so deep,

Innocence shattered, a secret they’d keep.

But Fatima’s spirit, a force to reckon,

Her tragedy’s echo a call to awaken.

Culprits who thought darkness could hide their sin,

Now face the mirror, haunted by what’s within.

Sky, earth, stars, rivers, their voices unite,

Roaring and weeping, their anguish takes flight.

In her loss, a symbol, a rallying cry,

For justice and change, her legacy won’t die.

Resilience personified, a metaphor so strong,

 Her memory inspires, rights to fight for so long.

 “Boycott!” the cry rings, a call to erase,

The feudal dominion, injustice to efface.

Fatima, your story forever will stand,

A beacon of hope in a desolate land.

Your spirit lives on, igniting the fight,

To dismantle the darkness, bring justice to light.

***

Reflections upon life’ as futile

Shadows cast, we tread the path,

A dance of moments, fleeting fast,

 In search of purpose, we aspire,

Yet find ourselves in endless mire.

A fleeting spark, a fleeting breath,

 We journey on, from birth to death.

In quest of meaning, we persist,

Yet grasp at smoke, a gentle mist.

The futility of life we ponder,

As sands slip through time’s hand yonder,

A tapestry of hopes and fears,

We weave, but find no lasting cheers.

Yet midst the void, a glimmer shines,

In shared connections, love entwines,

Though life may seem a futile quest,

In bonds we forge, we find our rest.

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