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Best Poems Written by Haifa Shaikh

Below are the all-time best Haifa Shaikh poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | Haifa Shaikh Poem

Petals

These petals of a warrior,
A fusion of strength, beauty and allure
When these petals bloom
You will see no scar,
But, they could surely make or mar
And the fumes within, 
Could light your lamp
Or burn your existence into doom,
And leave you unable to revamp.

Details | Haifa Shaikh Poem

Perfection

You are not perfect, you say;
Well, nobody is, say they.

Have you analysed yourself enough
to realize what makes you imperfect;
Or that which keeps you from being an epitome of perfect?
Have you?

A payoff of hundreds of decades of evolution are you;
About the struggles and efforts of your ancestors,
Do you even have a clue?

There is perfection in imperfection,  they say.
You don't have to twist your brain to this paradox, I say.
If you struggle with the idea, 
to you that was told;
Remember, they make broken bowls perfect,
by grouting cracks with gold.

Millions of years the world had to wait,
Before it could have you.
And that, you shouldn't just see through,
Surely not let them use you as bait!

The universe respects you;
 more than you would ever know,
You need to realize the worth of yourself 
and keep forever that glow.

Details | Haifa Shaikh Poem

Patience

That gloomy gleam in their eyes;
I cannot bear.
My heart explodes,
when it feels the vibes of despair.
The expectation in their eyes;
that which I cannot fulfill,
Drowns me in depths of sheer helplessness.

How do I make them believe in the goodness;
 that which exists in inabundance though.
What do I do about the agony,
they ask to be taken away;
Their weary eyes display plea.

My chest explodes and my soul cracks.
In shambles;
I find no way to overcome the pain.
The one thing that keeps you going,
The wall of hope;
seems to crumble, goes everything in vain.

And, so, yes, I do bottle up.
Bottle up my emotions.
Pretending that I don't feel.
Pretending that it doesnt matter to me.
Pretending that I don't crave for the love that I know I cannot give back.
Start blocking every emotion one by one.
Pretend to stop feeling.
First, for the ones in despair;
Then, for myself eventually.

I find myself falling into the never ending tunnel of doubt.
But, surely, the Creator only tests you for how much you can bear.
For just when I'm about to lose it all,
A force pulls me up;
An answer to my prayer.

A feeling of relief;
More valuable than the whole world's treasuries.
Pulls me out of that neverending tunnel of doubt;
Far above and beyond the miseries.

I finally begin to start seeing a reason;
A purpose behind everything.
Although I start seeing it,
the Creator shows me only that much truth that I need to know.
And once there is a sense of realization;
I can feel a beautiful gift,
 being upon me bestowed.

That which we all need.
That which we must all strive to attain.
That which is no less than the magical word-Hope.
That which not all realize the importance of.
That which actually keeps the world going.
The beauty of which is much more beyond human comprehension.
That which the Almighty Himself says is best for us.

 And that is- PATIENCE.

Details | Haifa Shaikh Poem

So What

Yes, I am fat.
Only a few get the cue
being overweight is not easy;
unlike you.
You wouldn't know what heavy feels like,
but I do.

For no fault of mine I have to suffer the mockery,
surely you'd stop it;
if you only knew,
why I avoid the bakery.

The mental torture more than the physical hindrance caused.
All my life I've only strived to be more presentable;
that's the societal clause.

I miss my childhood self;
who could play and run and climb with an athlete's stance.
Then arrived puberty and it all changed;
not for good I would say.
Couldn't run anymore without stopping to catch a breath; even once.
Lost every ounce of confidence I ever had.

Had to gather all words of encouragement to shower upon myself;
that I wouldnt break.
The society wasn't as harsh;
realized it was my own insecurities getting the better of me;
that was the take.

Decided to get back in shape;
I had so much stress;
decided to eat lesser;
ended up eating almost nothing,
I already ate so less.

My friends always complained that I didn't eat enough;
while I wondered why I couldn't get anything down my throat.
Mother said it's all about the mind,
"You need to think better about yourself",
eating balanced wouldn't make you puff.
The elder sister trying her best to explain how I needed to celebrate life.

Took me ages to get the notion off my head;
that eating with your friends wouldn't make them think you're fatter.
Gained some confidence to eat straight from the platter.

Tried gymming, running, swimming for years with planned diet.
Nothing worked;
so I just sat disappointed in the corner;
quiet.

Even visited the doctor to take weight reducing tablets,
but once you stop taking them it's back to square one.

Realized I've got pcod;
no amount of exercise would solve the weight issue unless I cured myself of it first.
Felt a bit better knowing it wasn't me all this time who wasn't doing it right.
There was a different battle my body had to first fight.

Tried a different form of medicine;
 it started working.
Need to continue for a while before I get fitter.
The, go back on my journey to get better.

Until then,
Yes, I am fat,
 SO WHAT?

Details | Haifa Shaikh Poem

When

Does your heart ever ache?
When,

you realise unavailing efforts make you drain.
you see how helpless you are in pain.

you think there is no escape but death .
you realise death is not an escape.
you know you have to live with it.

from all the crying you struggle for breath.
crying yourself to sleep doesn't help.

behind the ticks of the clock; of the silent night, you hear the screams.
the songs of death in the cricket's chirp make you flinch.
you shudder as the goosebumps pinch.
to contain overflowing emotions you struggle.
a million times your heart explodes; the agony unimaginable.

a zillion efforts go in vain.
from the blow of realities you cannot cope.
delusions hit hard with unendurable pain.
fortunately, your ego dies a hundred deaths.
all you long for is a ray of Hope.

to stop from going on a quest you refuse.
the cells within for an answer yearn.
your soul urges to ask the Almighty for safe haven.