Because People Give up by Now | Shabnum Khanum

Because people give up by now,
Wiping off the mopped floor, squeaky clean, marble white I reflect.
Painted the windows white, walls red, no bloody stains here.

Furniture is white, matching the windows,
Dining table round and of pine,
This is where I dine,
They say 1 day at a time.

Because people give up by now,
Cleaning brownish-blackish gunk on the stove.
Over flown, forgotten, I scrub, clean it bright,
I cook,
I surprise.

My automatic machine clicks, 8.5 kg load,
and I put few kg more.
It screeches. Stops.
But not me, I emptied my hands and haven’t cut my wrists yet.

Because people give up by now,
killing, poisoning, stumping on other roaches.
In corners quietly they repair who pretended to die,
I put my makeup, got few more lives to live.

A rusty old watch I clean, memories creep,
speak, have you forgotten me, I am low.
This time I don’t pack it back.
I let it hang, in my sight, with a lighter mind,
They say 1 step at a time.

Because people give up by now,
pretending to be cursed.
Pretend what you may.
I am gone past me.
In plain sight, I have let it go.
They are they and I am me.

I say 1 day at a time,
1 step at a time,
1 life at a time.
Because, most people give up by now.

Shabnum Khanum is a poet, writer and an IT & Marketing Professional. Born in a faraway town of India she has closely looked at the life in both its freedom and inhibitions. Her above piece is a result of that observance and she continues to affect the life of those around her to hit them with reality time and again without disrupting their worlds. Apart from this she is an avid runner, reader and social activist she now writes actively for various women issues fervently among other things. She has been published in various magazines and journals. Her chapbook “The Violent Veins” is up for release in February 2017.