‘Healing’, ‘Mother Nature’ and Other Poems by Rabeah Muzammil

Healing

Part of my femininity is taken away
Still, you showed me mercy.
In a calm healing journey,
As I walk in your shoes
With every cycle
With every drop of my hair
When chemo keeps me awake all night
With every stranger that crosses my path
 With a smile that hides the heaviest burden and the deepest pain
You made me reflect and contemplate.

You showed me your wisdom,
And kept me close to empathy.
Cancer is not a death sentence
As portrayed in mainstream films.
It has put my life back on track instead
Close to my creator,
That is where I want to belong.


Mother Nature
 
She nurtured and provided for all,
Then men came with ‘development’ imbued with greed
Trees vanished, rivers dried and animals went extinct!
I walk for miles and miles in search of water
It is a long walk, through a rough terrain,
Unpaved road with graveled path
And a toilsome balancing act.
 
I dream of a home where I can turn on the tap,
Where there is running water!
Maybe a home in heaven; where rivers flow beneath.
 
 
At the Market
 
When Mother Nature’s bounty is harvested,
And sold at the market,
The food community
And the colors of nature are united.
Overwhelmed with shades,
The leafy greens becomes lush green meadows
Colored veggies and fruits look like rainbows.
 
Finger pokes and touches,
Nose sniffs
And the eyes wander, like the wandering eyes of men
Succulent meat from the butcher, titillates the senses
Ocean smell of sea creatures, tantalizes
Temptation suddenly invites,
And wisdom whispers,
Don’t buy more than you can eat
Just buy what you need.
 
 
 
When Monkeys Forage
 
A troop of monkeys invaded the neighborhood,
Ransacking the trash for food
Stones were pelted
And remained unperturbed,
Being angry at humans
For their encroachment
Our forest are fragmented
Our fruits depleted
Our habitats have disappeared.
 
When monkeys go foraging
It is a sign that they are going to vanish,
Taking along the cornucopia of verdure
And an upset ecosystem,
Leaving a warning sign, of the end of time.
 
 
 

About the Poet:

Rabeah Muzammil is a cancer survivor, a pensioner and a grandmother. Her sojourn extends in places like Africa, Indonesia and the UAE and these experiences have exposed to her to various types of poverty and human predicament. Being poor is the real cancer that proliferates the vicious cycle of poverty and terminal illness. As a frequent traveller to various places around the world, she also noticed the unjust distribution of wealth that has created a huge gap between the rich and the poor. She hopes to create awareness pertaining to subject matters like cancer, nature, children and their well-being more through her writings.