Poem of the week: the river

Aleena Alam, Poet

every night, i am drawn to the same river

lulled by a force that rivals a star’s gravity

i kneel at the water’s edge, i smolder, i shiver

 

i lower my hands, but fail to quell their quiver

the water’s waves sing, they coax me into insanity

every night, i am drawn to the same river

 

with its bitter, scalding sting, the water’s taste is a mirror

one swallow, two, all the way to infinity

i kneel at the water’s edge, i smolder, i shiver

 

when i remove my lips, burdened by burning silver

the water ripples red with a seething lethality

every night, i am drawn to the same river

 

its liquid is intoxicating; a potent liquor

i want it to drown me in fire, rob me of veracity

i kneel at the water’s edge, i smolder, i shiver

 

it tosses me out like a flower starting to wither

after all, it loves no one but infidelity

every night, i am drawn to the same river

i kneel at the water’s edge, i smolder, i shiver