At night when the world is asleep,

The love of my life comes forth. As though born

Of the sea, as though Venus

He comes forth. His eyes glimmer like spirits,

His hands tremble like the stars would

And he is drunk in fear: this lover of mine.

He thinks the night sky will fall on his head.

And I am sober enough to remind him

Of the heaven that is above the sky. However be

His fear, I’ll continue to love him.

We are then asked why we have loved?

Was it not made clear that the universe would cry

Had we been together?

But you, o blessed one, laughed a sort of

Madness and blamed me for my love.

My poetry has indeed always been about you.

I promise I am not quiet because of my heart

I only wish that you’d behold me just this once

I think I’d die if you did but please do so.

I promise to not die again, just hold me tight.

And all else is alright tonight

For as of now it’s just me and you and the stars

They won’t fall down yet, don’t you worry

I’m certain they fear the spirits in your eyes:

Almost divine.

Ummkulthum Hassan spent her childhood reading Grimm’s fairytales to her siblings. Now, she writes poetry and short stories that she hopes will give the same kind of “hope” as the fairytales she used to read gave her. If you’re at the library, there’s a high chance you’ll find her there too: reading books as an escape. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @poetmelusine