By Hanzala Mojibi

was it all too
offensive,
that i existed?

was it rude
that i stood still,
silent,
a night watch on the northern wall?

is it
rooted deep,
a primal urge to undo
that which was here before you?

or just, just, just an ephemeral itch?

i wish violence
wasn’t your first language—
i would have liked to talk.

i had questions.

***

Author bio:
Hanzala Mojibi is a PhD scholar from India, currently working with Trauma and Absurdism in Northumbria University. His poems have found a place in publications such as Sahitya Akademi’s Indian Literature journal, The Wire, gulmohur quarterly and DoubleSpeak magazine, among others. 

Image credit: “Sycamore Gap from the North” by Edna Winti is licensed under CC BY 2.0.