After Eid

After Eid, dad
piled us all into one car
headed North with
nothing but three
backpacks on the roof
and a knack for reckless
un-planning

Sar kiye yeh pahar
we are stuck in 13-hour
traffic jams, and there’s only
so many times I can listen
to despacito in one
sitting and beat my
siblings in uno on
my makeshift-table
legs

Daryaon Ki Gehraiyon mein,
they will find the rocks
we threw in one by one
like tamed secrets,
and the broken
whiskey bottle my
brother tossed
when he thought no
one was looking

Tujhay Dhoonda Hai,
in these winding roads
leading somewhere,
the riverside motels
open for the summer,
the local children
as sweet as the
honey boxes lining
their street

By Ayesha Usman

*urdu lyrics written by a Pakistani band named Strings as first lines of each stanza.

Translation:

‘In the mountains high
In the depths of the rivers so deep
‘Been searching for you’.

Biography:

Ayesha Usman is a twenty-one year old med student from a Pakistani town nestled between dusty, orange mountains. She believes in the magic of words and sends good vibes to anyone who happens to stumble upon her work.