Heartland Society of Women Writers

By Hameedah Aruwa

‘& isn’t life a tale of streetlights?’ 
I ponder, as I tread the stony road 
that leads to home. I swoon in the 

balminess of the crispy breeze 
stroking every inch of my skin– 
every swoosh compels me to swerve 

my slender body, to the wind’s shallow
beats. I deduce that the skies are indifferent:
Silent & dark. I see no light rays penetrating 

the thick sheets of clouds. But the roads
are half lit by streetlights; bright ones,
dim ones & flickering ones. 

In our lives, aren’t there such people like
the bright streetlights? They eschew
darkness & infiltrate hearts with their 

aura of blinding lights. There are such people,
like the dim streetlights & there are such
people, who flicker; whose presence avail us 

both light & darkness— in alternation.

Learn more about Hameedah in her bio on the Featured Author page.