By Manahil Wakil
Once upon a time
In a faraway land
In a place since forgotten
And it’s people long buried in the sand
Wherein once lived an archer
Notorious and renowned
Fabled and celebrated
With hawk eyes and a grip too tight
The archer shot, and his shoot always died
One day, in the forbidden woods
Amongst the towering thicket of trees
He found a little boy crouching on the ground
Humming along with the bees
The archer wonders what he’s doing here
In the forests, frightening and forbidden
But ask he did not,
He had learnt to prowl always
And thus, prey he always did
Another glorious day in the woods
He finds the same strange little boy lying there again;
amongst the huge trees and its roots
The boy notices the Archer this time
And makes his way towards him, staring intently at his face
The Archer bends down and he runs his fingers over a faded scar over the Archer’s brows
And points at a fresh deep cut he sported at the exact same place
I’ve heard about you, the boy says
You’re mean with a bow and arrow
I am so, the Archer replies
Noticing the same earthy brown that coloured both their eyes
I’ve got a target for you, the boy says abruptly
But you cannot cannot miss
The Archer smirks and the boy knows
That He never did slip
The boy runs a little distance
And displays his bare chest
He makes a silent prayer and takes a deep breath
He signals at the Archer, who stands there wide eyed
He couldn’t possibly shoot at the young boy
He could not, would not abide
The next day however, he finds the boy at the exact same spot
Standing exactly as he was
Determined and stout
Please, he calls after the Archer
It’s my only way out
The Archer takes a deep breath
Nocks his arrow; and draws his bow
The boy nods at him and the weapon’s released
‘I don’t miss’ the Archer says quietly
For he never never did.
By Manahil Wakil
Out of words……
Impressive!!
Amazing .....
i love this poem! the author’s poetry style is so unique and touching.
That was such a captivating piece🤌🏻