Photo by Markus Loke
Beyond these Walls
Stuck in a surreal painting Beyond these walls, clocks melting
Sluggish time, present and future lost
Humility, life lessons at a steep cost.
Desperate for restful sleep Beyond these walls, disconnect so deep Guilty privilege, food, shelter, and more
Paralyzing fear, parents at work or at the store.
Expect to discover a muse Beyond these walls, dashed hopes and deadly news There’s no end to this storm Still, rush to do, to create, to perform.
Pause, embrace the authentic Beyond these walls, not all catastrophic Let me be, won’t be fragile for long
Will step up, will be strong.
The Author
Shirzad is a senior in high school. He was transplanted from New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey. In addition to poetry, Shirzad’s interests include politics, environmental justice, and immigrant issues. He is also passionate about Japanese literary forms and comic art. His manga-based TikTok channel has 300,000 followers and he is currently conducting research on how manga and anime can help with mental health literacy in youth.
Shirzad Mustafa