Nostalgia meanders its way to me carving deep into my tender flesh Ancient aches, rekindle A faithful yearning, an incision so deep The wounds open wide, with every thought The forsaken memories begin to bleed This is an ache that never leaves. A passing sailor inquired, if I miss that place. I fell silent, gazing into a ravine I uttered, ‘‘How can I forget something, unforgettable?” I yearn for that distant far off land. The ache returns intermittently, nay relentlessly. With every breath, it pulsates intensively, Through every fiber of my soul, a stampede of raging thoughts Throb through the ancient ruins that flow deep within me So I asked him to take me there Take me by the hand to my sacred corner of solitude, A little heaven tucked away on my hidden island Where the sun is golden, the sky a hazy lavender Where palm trees stand tall along its shore As the dawn sets, I glance to the heavens It is starrier than ever Take me so I can escape, drown, Drown into a realm of bliss Take me where a million birds unite to sing their choir And squirrels dance to its alluring tune, White silk feathers float along amidst the wind, As it blows smoothly upon every tiny spec Below and above the ground, The Islands beauty contains a fortress of deep riches, Serenity close to the heavens above In the silver moonlight a cascade falls And submerges into the emerald rivière. Here all saints, sages and lovers of the past, reunite Gazing at the hollow above, reciting sweet verses of love, Unleashing ancient songs of Babylon and bringing them to life. Take me! Take me, if you can… I have heard it’s out of reach! Its boundaries beyond reach by mere mortals, Illuminated by rays that sparkle in a magnificent spectrum, Incapable of being seen by normal beings. Mystics foretold, its waters are hot fires blazing, Perpetually, glowing with embers of Yusuf’s beauty, Upon one glance you would become wretched Like a wanton, whose soul is aflame and consumed by desire. Only a charismatic, An honorable being has the evident tendency to witness it. Quench my thirst – for its glow has generated a fascination Within my every pulsating nerve. Oh, hear me, I swear! My soul is tainted and tortured. Aye, I hopelessly wander As though bewitched by the phantom of Zulaika’s shadow. Take me if you can by the hand For, I lay here as its victim, Hypnotized by the secrets of that Island Hidden somewhere beneath the illusions of this world. The writer is a lawyer and social activist. She is an aspiring author who loves poetry and humour. She tweets at @ammara_gul Published in Daily Times, January 11th 2018.