Odes of My Heart

Sherebanu Yousuf Mithaiwala

Daastan Publishing 2023

First Published in Pakistan by Daastan PVT LTD

House # A-41, Madni Street, Lala Rukh, Wah Cantt, Punjab 47040

www.daastan.com

www.meraqissa.com

Text copyrights © Sherebanu Yousuf Mithaiwala 

Book Design copyright © Anum Ameer

Edited by: Mariam Rizvi

The moral rights of the writer, illustrator and editor have been asserted.

All rights reserved

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN 978-969-696-825-2

This book is dedicated to my parents, who are always by my side in all my ups and downs in life. My grandparents, without whom this would not be possible for me. And, of course, my mentor, who has been a constant support and my backbone throughout this journey.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Writing this book was always challenging for me. It was a delightful surprise when my school, MSB Educational Institute, Shabbirabad, gave me this opportunity to write my own book. To my utter pleasure and surprise, I got to know that the school has provided the students a platform by the name of “Young Authors” where I could make my dream of becoming an author come true. I knew it still would be an uphill task, but despite keeping all the hurdles in mind, I had to move ahead. This was a huge opportunity for me to express my feelings in front of the world and my point of view on some topics.

PREFACE

I have always been somebody who has looked for a deeper meaning to life and what revolves around it. Be it the passing clouds, the rays of the sun through the window, time that flies so fast, the elements of nature, or the wind, fire, sand, etc. My mind keeps wandering in deep thoughts. I wanted to express what goes through my mind hoping that others might get useful insight from my work or they also might share the same feelings which I have. Hope the readers shall appreciate my small endeavor.

CONTENTS

Fear and a Prayer.

Smile.

Lost Forever.

Fire.

Death.

Life.

Fantasy.

An Enchanted Night

The World: A book of Colors.

Mother.

The Moon and the Dark Night

Growing Older.

Expectations.

I Sit with Thousands

The Night

Into the Woods.

The Starter of Life.

Life of the Poor.

Fear and a Prayer

The sounds that I mostly hear

Sometimes make me wonder and fear,

As to the unknown which lies near,

Which I do not find very dear.

And then, I cherish the silence.

At least, it shuns violence.

Hoping to get some guidance,

So the world could be in balance.

Hope things get better with time,

And there is left no crime.

Things get cheap as a dime,

And birds happily chime.

Let’s hope and pray for the best,

Not to follow at a protagonist’s behest.

Evil at all times us shall detest,

And to remain forever blest.

Smile

Oh, my dear friend, what’s happened to your smile?

Where has it been lost for a while?

The person inside you is so versatile;

Why not bring her out; why be so volatile?

Days are harder; problems increase by the pile;

All you have to do is, solve them in style.

Sleepless nights, scary dreams, all of which used to be a geil,

But let's just move on, forget the past, and reconcile.

Remember, my number you can always dial,

And it will be just me and you, on our isle.

I can fly mile after mile;

To be with you and see you smile.

Background

This poem is dedicated to all people who are closest to the writer. The writer has subjected them as friends. Everyone has ups and downs in their life, but dealing with them with a smile solves the majority of the problems. The best part is that it helps to reduce stress.

Having that one person whom you can always call upon without any hesitation is surely one of the biggest blessings. The writer is someone who tries to help everyone in the best possible way she can. In this poem, the writer is trying to highlight the importance of that one person who can change your sadness into a smile. The one who helps you in forgetting all your problems and relax for a while. The writer wants her dearest one always smiling.

The message being conveyed to the world is that they should also keep smiling and share their feelings or problems with the ones who are closest and trustworthy to them. By doing this, they can solve their problems faster by reducing their stress as well as other medical problems, such as depression and anxiety. It’s also said, ‘smile, it’s free therapy’.

Lost forever

The innocent face that made me smile,

Has now been lost for quite a while.

The one who gave me lots of hope,

And made me with everything, cope,

With whom I had nothing else to desire,

And none could against me, conspire.

Whenever I felt down and out,

Would sit by me as if my own devout.

Its voice would fill me with deep comfort,

And it required plainly, no effort.

How I miss it since, now it’s gone.

My beautiful and enchantingly lovely fawn.

I keep in my heart what from you I learned,

And my soul has always for you yearned.

Background

A time comes when the person who is dearest to you goes away, whether by death, a misunderstanding, or the number of problems in that relationship. Sometimes it can be the most heartbreaking situation for someone, and then they are lost forever. They lose their own self, and a whole new person comes out of them. They do not remain the same as they used to be before.