Eid Every Week

Sumera Saleem

June 29, 2021

A day bath before twelve o’clock every Friday.

Before the prayer call rings our house,

“Our” is my mother’s favorite word 

And “house” is my father’s. I can see

Both words smoothing the cracks

Left inside us by sour tongue and walloping time. 

They can see sunny smiles on our faces, 

Which glee-glowingly trace how Eid comes to us each Friday.

We softly hold in our palms like butterflies crisp five rupee notes.

Wrapped in flamboyant frocks, we savor every moment honey-sweet.

We wheel our feet on gyre, we sing our hearts on the lyre.

“Be generous,” they say, “It’s a way to bless 

The one who is burdened with the less and

Both words ward off the devils, dilly-dallying our joys.”

We pillow fight for our favorite words 

Until “Be” becomes mine and “generous” my sister’s.

A night fight before twelve o’clock every Friday.

Sumera Saleem is a lecturer in the department of English language and literature, Sargodha University, Sargodha and gold medalist in English literature from the University of the Punjab for the session 2013-15. Her poems have appeared in Tejascovido, Langdon Review published by Tarleton State University, USA, Blue Minaret, Lit Sphere, Surrey Library UK, The Text Journal, The Ghazal Page, Pakistani Literature published by Pakistan Academy of Letters, Word Magazine. A few more are forthcoming in international and national anthologies.