Schizophrenia by Sarah Mohammed
Dedicated to my uncle Waffiq
his strength in the face of adversity
will forever prevail the Schizophrenia he battled with to death
The world is etched in dusty charcoal, a place of darkness
Not the soft comfort wrapped around me as I am put to sleep
His mind is a place of maniacal darkness
that destroys all the clusters of light from his system
that kills all the vibrant feelings of hope that rush through his brain
sparking paralyzing fear wild fear
that shrieks and howls in the moonlight like wolves powerful
fear that Satan those monsters and twisted devils
that black fear it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth it sparks
a land of no return inside him.
His feelings reveal whispers on his tongue
Cracked and croaky whispers sing the tune of mindless suffering
Let out of psychotic madness in the depths of a black hole
His face I vividly remember his face
Once buoyant I can still feel his fingers
gliding smoothly down my hair singing lullabies
like a woeful sun hurrying to meet dusk
His grasp of reality fades faster than light
Now a monster rabidly tears away the turning universe
A turbulent tremor he could feel neither my presence nor my touch
Whispering to himself
Engrossed, answering, arguing and fighting with his monsters
And now a tranquil star glows in the night sky.
Sarah Fathima Mohammed is a Muslim-American emerging writer and high schooler from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Canvas Literary Journal, Rattle, Eunoia Review, Girls Right the World, and The Rising Phoenix Review. When she is not writing, she teaches English to homeless students living in transitional shelters, reads for Polyphony Lit, and enjoys archery.