A Love Forsaken

O my beloved,
I did believe once that your love
would suffice to live by
if only I had you in my life,
and my world would forever
flourish with your presence,
I would always be happy
despite all of the world’s troubles.

But there’s a seed of hatred
sown in the hearts of men,
In their eyes there’s a glint of mistrust,
There’s a fiery wind of bitterness
sweeping the land.

While my heart is engulfed
in these overwhelming sorrows,
Alas my love,
you are asking me to hold you
with the same intense love of yore,
To relive those good old days
when the times were simpler.

But it’s not meant to be,
Our lives are interwoven
into the fabric of the nation.

While as painful as is
your yearning for the past love,
I am also drawn toward
the sorrows other than our separation,
the joys other than our reunion.

While the world is engulfed in hatred
Oh my beloved,
Do not ask me
for the love I once had for you.

(Inspired by Faiz Ahmad Faiz poem: Mujhse pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob na mang)