MY OLD BLUE JEANS
It’s worn thin.
Torn at the edges,
Frayed at the pockets.
The blue that it once was
stays in the corners.
But I still wear it-
my most comforting ally.
I can’t even remember
how long has it been
since I’ve been wearing it.
Now it sits in my closet,
my quick attire for anytime.
I wear it when I need something
to feel comfortable,
to last me over troubled times,
to be a partner in long journeys.
When I put it on,
I don’t know where I’m headed
or how long it’s going to take,
but it’s reassuring to know that it will last
and I’ll be safe
in my old blue jeans.
As I paced the corridors
of the hospital,
slept in iron-frame cots
waiting for my child to be born,
my jeans kept me warm.
When he was born,
I carried him in my arms,
walked around, sang his lullaby
in my old blue jeans.
I’ve marched in crowds
chanting slogans and mouthing anger
on the strike-ridden streets.
Shoulder to shoulder
with my humanity
asking for “Justice”,
in my old blue jeans.
I carried the pall
in slow tears,
bade goodbye over freshly dug earth
and knelt in prayer for my loved ones.
The rain sharing my grief
as the soil seeped
in my old blue jeans.
On roads unknown
I’ve travelled a thousand miles
of vast beauty and tall trees.
Wandered about dragon’s tails
to be glimpsed from mountain tops.
Sat on riverbeds
and listened to the gurgle
and murmurs of soft eddies
around my feet
in my old blue jeans.
A thousand days and a thousand nights
my body has been wracked and ravaged.
My soul has grown weary
From the darkness that falls across the world.
And still I know
my path is long
and I have promises to keep
in my old blue jeans.
As my journey through life
Weathers the storms
steadying the turbulence,
I thank God for a strong backbone
and steady legs.
And though with time
it fades and tears,
I’ll always be safe
in my old blue jeans.
- Sajid Ahmed
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