Kash Baloch — Poetry on Identity, Love, and Survival

Alarmed as you shook me awake from my silent reverie, I slowly grew conscious of my glass menagerie. Others were always on the outside staring in, amusedly wondering which of the sins I would engage in. My world was taken by storm as all my plans had gone awry. I had intended to make a ripple on the history of man; to invent something ingenuous was surely in my plan. Yet cruel fate had been victorious once again, as I let go of hoping as I watched life's hourglass devour all of its sand. I was born to be the greatest, to shine above all the rest; I was guaranteed eternal bliss but instead became depressed. Life's burdensome facades never failed to rain on my parade. In hysterics as I reproached God alone for my reclusive crusade. Barraged with bullets as I tried to make it to second base, trivialized by material things as I saw the ugliness you concealed behind your face. I am entering a new era, a chapter of my own as the world sits and silently waits for another king to be th...

When love takes over, it has the power to ignite; it can rob you of your sight and make you lose your will to fight. When love takes over, it provided you with light throughout the night, fill you with the most poignancy to write and beautify your world to your delight. Love has taken over me, and I have succumbed to its devices. It has enamoured me, as I have paid its prices. This weekend has entranced me, as I danced within your arms. You are my knight in shining armour, and my soul's successful charmer. I was a snake until you played your enticing tune, blowing up my love as if it were a balloon. I am weakest when under your grip, as you are the only one equipped with the power to numb my lips. My soul is enchanted by your aura divine, even through my flawed design. This love is ethereal, as if it were from above. Your vessel empties into mine, purifying me like a dove. I kissed your lips so softly, as the breezes in the south of France. I held you so closely, as we slowly dance...

My eyes adored you as you entered the frame, I was drawn to you like moth to flame. Months turned into years as we smiled to hide the tears. Pushed turned into shove, as we fell further out of love. You came along when I needed a saviour, but left me instead with a taste I could not savour. You vowed to reciprocate my love with gratitude but often failed to return the favour. You broke my heart, shattered it into a million little pieces. I sacrificed my self respect from the start, as you failed to see that love unreturned only decreases. My failure to note that you were secondhand, the jaded victim of another man forced me into this mess that refuses to succeed, as you line your pockets with money and replace our love with greed. You suspect my every motive, with your conscience full of guilt, as the flowers in our garden continue to die and wilt. I have lost my will to fight, as you deployed emotional blackmail to rob me of my light. Often harassed me with your malice, led me through...

You captured my heart with your arrow and bow, and I desire nothing more than for us to experience growth. My violin plays an ode to our love, so pure and serene that it creates envy in doves. Your sorrows I will soothe as you lie in my arms, providing you with guidance and shelter from harm. The very night we met was nothing if not bliss, as I surrendered myself to your promise of eternal bliss. My soul cried out in glee happily, that you are my soul's mate on Earth, as you have managed to remind me of my worth. You are equivalent to your weight in diamonds straight from De Boers, as I envision our future and see sunshine for years. I will still know that you are the one, when my vision has diminished to the point that I can not see but only feel the heat of the sun. It bathes me in its heat and caresses my frame, as I relinquish my ego and refuse to play games. I sheathe myself in you, praying for more; your ecstasy has taken over me and settled the score. No longer naive, I am w...

Insomnia strangles as it deceives me with false promises of sleep; it closes in and comes in for the kill, painfully sadistic, but always a thrill. I lie awake at night, innocently questioning the path of my life. Will it be one of wonder and love, or contrarily one of heartache and strife? I analyze every aspect as I am nestled awake, shaken to my core, and left yearning for retribution for the love that you would take. I asked the moon to reveal to me, all of our love's discrepancies. As if I was much to blind to agree that I was merely entranced by your perfumed potpourri. She pressed her face to mine and said, "Love too, goes stale, as it is not like wine but more like bread." I sat and contemplated her wise and profound advice, praying for a way to once again entice. But instead, I sit and write, hoping to earn some solace from these dark and lonely nights. Your betrayal still stings like a wound that refuses to close. Try as I may, I am still haunted by my own ghost...

Our version of love had become such a dispute, push turned to shove as I became increasingly mute. I refused to wear the scarlet letter of love lost, so instead I would push you away and endlessly accost. You showed no emotion, your face was a blank slate, with reckless abandon, I continued to eat from your plate, all the while questioning whether it was all a mistake. I cried and I begged for you to grant me release, as I sat in your prison plotting ways to capture the keys. I pleaded for the remnants of my life that you viciously held within your hand; what would it have been like if I had never entered your dark and dreary land? You were vile and contrite as you denied me my rights, writing my fate with your pen as I pathetically transformed into the thorns of a rose with my pitiful, and depressing prose. I was your prisoner for far too long, as you shattered my lungs and silenced my song. At night, I open the window and ask the moon to come and press its face against mine. ...