I had come to the kitchen to fix a bracket fan
When I noticed a grey, ponderous chap,
sitting smug and unseen near the tea-whitener can.
He was nibbling a slice of cinnamon bread
that I had saved the day before to enjoy
perhaps with marmalade or chicken spread.
Savoring his lunch, he sat there unafraid:
his audacious way of eating, his magisterial aspect
and a regal, self-assured way he conveyed,
infused in me an uncanny measure of respect.
He was a recluse, a guest come from afar,
mocking the ordinary and mundane.
I quietly retreated, leaving the door ajar.
Was it a retreat or something just humane?
-
Born and raised in the vibrant heartland of Pakistan’s Punjab, Sibghatullah Khan grew up surrounded by nature’s sounds and sights. He cherished his interactions with birds and animals, letting those moments shape his youthful daydreams. Khan started crafting poems during his high school years, drawn to the art of words without any rigid adherence to one particular style. In his childhood, stories shared by his grandmother sparked a love for narrative in him, an affection evident in his writings today. He feels a deep connection with the works of Lawrence, Frost, Whitman, Emerson, Hemingway, Dostoevsky, and Thomas Mann. This affinity combined with the unpredictability of life has inspired him to explore a myriad of poetic and prose styles. In poetry, he finds joy in the limitless freedom of free verse while appreciating the resonance of past traditions. He is an Assistant Professor of English Literature at National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad.