In a show or bravado I’ve set up a man of worth A facade for fools A ploy to abstain from dirt But it feels so strange when it’s dark Were we so frantic from the start Like a drifter from the night Indulged in hazy dreams You will see me somewhere I know where you’ve been Because I’ve not been anywhere Maybe I ponder too much But it’s sheltered in my head a haven can hold so much But on days it’s hard to hold your tongue When ink spills afar Some days when my vision is too blurry When I’ve been defiant for hours Such endearing nightmares To my pride so shrewd To my masochist despair Littered in anonymous crowds You will see me somewhere Imagine unfamiliar towns I’ve been everywhere The writer is based in Lahore. He is a lawyer by day and an aspiring poet by night. Published in Daily Times, November 5th 2017.