Chai and Chrysanthemum by Mahnoor Rehan

Chai and Chrysanthemum Mahnoor Rehan My heart leansTowards abominationYou— Earliest ray of sunshineWalking sack of calculated caloriesAbyss, philanthropyI follow the squirrels as they hop from one willow toanotherWhen I leave my world behind just to play a minusculepart in yoursWhite Chrysanthemum disguisedAs a humanBang bangSwish swishThey rip my petals off in bitsEven god loves your companyYou both laugh at my life choices on a Saturday morningover a cup of chaiOh, what a delightful sight am I?A hopeless, humorless watchThe burden of love etched in my palms—Yet the thought of you still keeps me warmAs I sit here in my rocking chairIn the winter of my lifeMy center centers around your centerAnd I—Quietly oblige.More from Mahnoor Rehan ↓@smearedwithcrimson on InstagramMentioned in this episode:Write After with One Poem OnlyWrite After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. If you want to join: Listen to a poem from the month of April on One Poem Only, then write your own in response. I will pick one for each day to read in June for a special series: One Poem After 🍎🍏 Submissions close May 15.Write After Submissions Form