Novid Shaid, 2003, Copyright
One day, a painful memory shook my heart,
My old friend had served me since my birth,
And I had cast him out onto the street,
Denying his undying faithfulness.
The Homecoming of My Old Friend.
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Category Archives: Poems
Ramadan Poem
by Novid Shaid, August, 2010
When the crescent revealed its heavenly smile
The spirit of Layla suddenly brushed past me.
I stood entranced as she whispered in my ear
Give up your food and water just for me
And shed your sins, and multiply your prayers
Then I will follow you wherever you may go,
I’ll breathe a breeze of love into your heart,
Be still and remember I am your special friend.
The Feasts Of Ramadan
By Novid Shaid, 1997
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Rumbling bellies, parched mouths,
Searing scents wafting from our breaths,
Empty lunch trays, dizzy spells.
These familiar images appeared in our heads
as our Maulvi announced the good news
the sighting of the moon
and the beginning of a blessed month.
We braced ourselves
and prepared our minds, envisaging
Thirty days of fasting,
our stomachs hollow from dawn to dusk.
We knew the feeling,
our Mothers’ gentle nudges before dawn,
our early cups of tea and large breakfasts,
And that solemn utterance of signing our fast,
“And I intend to fast tomorrow”.
We could see ahead,
The anticipation for the setting sun,
The heavenly feeling
of mango juice coating our abandoned throats,
The community united in the mosque for Taraweeh prayer,
The rowdy lot sniggering in the back rows,
The marathon rakats on Layla Tul Qadr,
Oh and of course our prize at the finish line
Hard Times, Hard Truths
by Novid Shaid, 2006
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Can’t you hear me?
Can’t you see my distress?
Can’t you do anything?
Do you really even care?
When will you stop all this?
When will it end?
When you will make things right?
Can’t you see their pain?
Can’t you hear their cries?
Can’t you see they’re in despair?
It’s all a mess!
It’s all unfair!
It’s all just hypocrisy!
I need justice!
I want the truth!
I want revenge!
Are you even there?
“Our Night Out”
by Novid Shaid, 2003, copyright
Come and join our night out on the go!
A night of light where your worries will disappear
See our smiles and happy tears that flow!
We promise you our hearts and ready ears.
A POEM USING EVERY WORD IN THE ALPHABET IN ORDER
Aimless bickering causes depression
Endless fidgeting generates hypertension,
Idleness just kills liveliness,
Messiness nullifies opportunities.
Pointless questions ruin seminars,
Tenacity underlies victories,
Wilful xenophobia yields zealotry.
Novid Shaid, 2007,
Shade Us By Your Throne, O Lord
When the Sun is two bows’ length,
When the heat will not subside
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Shade us by Your Throne, O Lord
Shade us by Your Throne.
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On the day the Horn erupts
While the living ones devise
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Shade us by Your throne O Lord,
Shade us by Your throne.
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When the Trump is blown again
And the souls are unified,
On the day the Trump summons
All that are and all that were,
Naked, sweating, trembling
None can flee the summoning,
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Shade us by Your throne O Lord
Shade us by Your throne.
Poetic Prayer In Response to The Hadith Qudsi, “Ya Ibaadi” Hadith Number 24, Arbaeen Nawawiyya
Novid Shaid, 2003
Oh Allah! Oh everlasting King!
Oh heirless Emperor! Oh Sovereign!
Oh You, who has forbidden oppression
For yourself, and outlawed transgression.
Remember To Read The Instructions
by Novid Shaid, 2004
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In a place you might know
Not a long while ago
There lived a young fellar named Nigel.
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He possessed a wry grin
And a stubbly chin
And his friends would savour his arrival
The Fallen
A warm shower of dignified applause
Echoes down the winding road,
As hearses bearing the fallen one,
Glide through, leaving copious tears
And stoic faces in their wake.