Come over, this night— 

          with lines from Ishq, song by Faheem Abdullah and Rauhan Malik

In the quiet dark of my nights, I’ve often thought of you
kissing my cheeks the way a feather touches a tree under the sun.

In a light breeze, inch
by inch, it maps the tree’s skin. Your lips touch mine like a gazelle’s

that drinks water from a river under the dark sky.
The idea is to understand a body in its aloneness. So close, your fingers

read my heartbeat; your body moment after moment
dissolves into mine. In my stories, we’re not subtle with each other—your

fingers hurt my back but I’m
listening to you sing me a song. You say it’s about two lovers in Kashmir,

and one says to the other: Beloved, stay over this night, be with me
at our place, my beloved; let me look at your face, tonight—

without boundaries, let rest softly your gaze, beloved. Sometimes, when
we meet, our stories are the same.

Some evenings, you text to say
packed my toothbrush—staying over tonight—cook me a meal?

Of course, I say, with all my heart, beloved—
with all my heart, and more, and more.

Leave your toothbrush here
this time, there’s enough

space, after all.

xxx