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Literature, PoetryJuly 16, 2014

Getting a Superstar Girlfriend

Scared That He'll Get Caught Without a Second Thought by Amra Khan

Scared That He’ll Get Caught Without a Second Thought by Amra Khan

Remember when Cillian flipped
through a Canadian phonebook
looking for Kristin Kreuk
and when her mother picked up
apologising Kristin was out,
probably filming, Cillian’s heart
didn’t even skip a half beat
instead, cool as April rain, he left
a message to say he loved her
interpretation of Lana Lang
in Smallville and should her feet
ever kiss Irish soil, a pint
waiting in Dublin — and hung up.

That eve, we leered at each
bright star sparkling over the city,
even ones guarded by mist
and asteroids like angry fathers,
feeling like they had grown
close, in touching distance; somehow
Cillo had pulled them down
to fields we sat in sipping cheap beer
as passing cars lit each lick
of grass, ripe with rain, drops
sparkling, also in touching distance,
laughing like now we could
have anyone we wanted — though
we never tried.

~ Inua Ellams

 

Born in Nigeria, Inua Ellams is an internationally touring poet, playwright and performer. He has eight published books of poetry and plays. Poetry includes ‘Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars’ and ‘Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales’. His first play ‘The 14th Tale’ (a one-man show which he performed) was awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival and his third, ‘Black T-Shirt Collection’ ran at England’s National Theatre. He is currently working on two volumes of poetry: #Afterhours – a pamphlet and ‘Of All The Boys of Plateau Private School’, his first collection.
Poet’s note: “I was writing an essay that involved visiting the grounds of my old secondary school and suddenly remembered early interactions with members of the opposite sex. This was a fleeting memory of a something that happened, that seemed heroic at the time, but later I came to see for what it really was… one of the many illusions men share with other men.”

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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 [email protected].

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

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