Ayesha Asad
The Sun Never Pointed Out That Metal Piece
His beard was stained straw,
smoked by desert wind & lipped
by sand. His clothes, greased,
& his dog, pale & red-rimmed,
lion eyes steered by the North star.
I watched it kick up the dust
that settled around, drag its belly
across dried green undergrowth
where the neighbor’s dog waited
with barks that echoed in ringlets
across the darkening canyon.
We were parched, & our tire was whittled
clean through by sharp silver metal.
I think the stars leapt by
that evening, pinking the edge of the sky--
& what was left of the horizon settled
around his thumbs, around the whirring drills
& unlit rooftops. What rain we needed
flashed in our limbs like cut wires
sparking in arcs. Freshwater surging
in our fingertips. How can I forget
how the birds hovered in silence,
as if waiting for the sun to set
so they could drink. How can I forget
his dog, lapping at the leftover sun
scattered on my jeans. A gorgeous
longing—& he slipped his balmy hand
into it, pulled out an answer
as if he lived it.
smoked by desert wind & lipped
by sand. His clothes, greased,
& his dog, pale & red-rimmed,
lion eyes steered by the North star.
I watched it kick up the dust
that settled around, drag its belly
across dried green undergrowth
where the neighbor’s dog waited
with barks that echoed in ringlets
across the darkening canyon.
We were parched, & our tire was whittled
clean through by sharp silver metal.
I think the stars leapt by
that evening, pinking the edge of the sky--
& what was left of the horizon settled
around his thumbs, around the whirring drills
& unlit rooftops. What rain we needed
flashed in our limbs like cut wires
sparking in arcs. Freshwater surging
in our fingertips. How can I forget
how the birds hovered in silence,
as if waiting for the sun to set
so they could drink. How can I forget
his dog, lapping at the leftover sun
scattered on my jeans. A gorgeous
longing—& he slipped his balmy hand
into it, pulled out an answer
as if he lived it.
Biography
Ayesha Asad (she/her) is from Dallas, Texas. Her work appears or is forthcoming in PANK, DIAGRAM, Cosmonauts Avenue, Sundog Lit, Menacing Hedge, Q/A Poetry, Qu Literary Magazine, and elsewhere. Her writing has been recognized by Creative Writing Ink Journal and the Robert Bone Memorial Creative Writing Prize. She studies Literature and Biology at the University of Texas at Dallas. In her free time, she likes to dream. Find her on Twitter: @ayes_lion
