Today's Sermon

Knife

From my loneliness,
a lantern takes shape
to be used in an emergency
during rainstorms.
Or donated
to miners working in a gold mine.
From my loneliness,
a carriage is made
to be used at tourist spots.
Or when the express train
derails in bad weather.
From my loneliness,
a bridge will be built
to be used during and after
the war for tanks to cross.
Or to suddenly be blown up.
From my loneliness,
a knife is honed
to cut paper or peel an apple.
And when it rusts,
it will be plunged into my heart.

~ Zeeshan Sahil, 1961 - 2008
   translated from the Urdu by Faisal Siddiqui, Christopher Kennedy and Mi Ditmar