The garden cuts
the eye green as Eve
clutches the apple
in Adam’s absence.

In another heaven,
men bring women
in black. Women
bring men with
smiles. Men who lie
down have only
the dhol wallay
for company.

With blood and care
we toil our way
through love.

Noor Jehan wished
stones to stay
wet. Jehangir
built a minar and
buried its heart
in water.

Now, there are steps
on steps
of stone.

Each arch mimics
the beloved’s brow.

No one knows what
the water swallowed
between the deer
and a heartbreak.

Here lies an eternity
of solitude. Here,
the memory of making
each heartbeat
a
              wet
                             slippery
                                           step.

Now, men leap to die.
Now, they slip and drown.
Now, they love other men.

Only women survive the fall.