Petals of Life

We were all very sad. From the beginning we had been close, so used to giving comfort and support. Each one of us played a part in making our display a joy to behold. If only it did not have to end this way. We could go on forever with no one the wiser. Passersby would look at our display and marvel at our beauty. If only we could continue in the same way. But no, we have to go with the flow, the change of life. And so we say goodbye to one another in many ways, everyday, never knowing which day will be our last.

Some blame it on the weather. Others believe that it is for a greater reason that it has to end this way. Each one of us slowly disappears from the panorama. But me, I think of none of that, because it will happen no matter the rhyme or reason. I feel myself slipping away, my grip slowly evaporating with the passage of time. Now my moment has come to fall from the tree of life, the beauteous blossoms that began with one and grew into many, only to all return to one again; and then none. Only by Allah’s grace do the blossoms become seeds and then buds to begin again.

By Zakia Imam Shahbaz