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Literature, PoetryMay 11, 2014

Tarazoo

Artwork by Jamal Afridi. Courtesy: ArtChowk Gallery.

Artwork by Jamal Afridi. Courtesy: ArtChowk Gallery.

What is more infinitely gentle
than the touch of a man
arranging fruit on cart?

On a concrete corner
I see cracked brown hands
pick a pair of amrood
on two stems kissing like cherries
lifted with love and wetly placed
on the top pile like an advertisement.

You should see the men in narrow streets
between rows and rows of bright coloured globes
coaxing oranges into pyramids
you should see the coarse thumbs
caressing mango curves
you should see the downy cheeks
of peaches being stroked
you should see man after man
turning apples in their hands
polishing them to an Eden sheen
before going home to beat their wives.

~ Yusra Amjad

 

Yusra Amjad was born and raised in Lahore and is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in English Literature at Forman Christian College. She is 20 years old.

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Jamal Afridipakistanpoetryweekend poemYusra Amjad

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One last love letter...

April 24, 2021

It has taken us some time and patience to come to this decision. TMS would not have seen the success that it did without our readers and the tireless team that ran the magazine for the better part of eight years.

But… all good things must come to an end, especially when we look at the ever-expanding art and literary landscape in Pakistan, the country of the magazine’s birth.

We are amazed and proud of what the next generation of creators are working with, the themes they are featuring, and their inclusivity in the diversity of voices they are publishing. When TMS began, this was the world we envisioned…

Though the magazine has closed and our submissions shuttered, this website will remain open for the foreseeable future as an archive of the great work we published and the astounding collection of diverse voices we were privileged to feature.

If, however, someone is interested in picking up the baton, please email Maryam Piracha, the editor, at maryamp@themissingslate.com.

Farewell, fam! It’s been quite a ride.

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