*

I have some fears of my own.
About them, they are unknown.
The shadows of those fears
Are always around.
They don’t let me breathe in the day,
They don’t allow me to dream at night.
I don’t want to remember
That numbers are piling,
People are awake,
The city is sleeping,
Streets are vacant,
Homes are thriving.
I just want to hide away,
I just want to find a way,
I want to be free
Of these unseen burdens.
I want to breathe and dream again.

*
*

Asma Shiraz was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan, and came to the U.S. with her husband in 2005. Today, she lives in Brooklyn, with her husband and three daughters. Asma Shiraz hopes to become a teacher and enjoys reading and watching movies. She is a student of John Kefalas at Project Reach Youth of the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone. She is working toward her HSE diploma.