mother of all cities of all bombs
madar will the sky be blue again?
silent screams a pink silk scarf
our hearts and prayers i promise
i am not a terrorist they destroyed
my village burned the walnut trees
tasted blood between our teeth
i am guilty when i leave my house
but inside my lungs shoot out
meteor showers there is no oxygen.
Madar when will we see the sky again?

Born in New York City and raised in Virginia, Zuhra Malik is an Afghan American poet and civil engineer. Her poems have previously appeared in KAIROS. She has an orchid collection and a Bengal cat named Alpha.