Nonchalance

Poetry by Mariyam Thahira
Photo by Shahin Khalaji

Outside the window, today
I noticed a little bird perched
on the highest branch of a tree
unafraid, unabashed -
of all possible worries, frivolous and free.

As much as I envied her undisturbed peace
and the wide view she'd get from there,
I had to appreciate her nonchalance
to the leaves that kept rustling
and the branches that kept swaying
with every swift motion
of the moody winds.

Where does such courage stem from?
Is it from the ocean of tawakkul
that's often associated with their kind
as they traverse vast skies
in search of the morsel of food
they're certain they've been destined?

Is it from their submission to the decree
of the one true Almighty ~
the reliance on whom
restores one's heart
to its natural state
of resilience and rest?

Whilst we follow an anthropocentric society
and their constricting constructs
of concepts like strength and success
to the attainment of transient luxuries,
I wonder how many more miracles
we overlook on a daily basis
that are built in beings
we're busy belittling.

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