When isolation ends

We will sit in bars, drinking elaborate drinks out of chilled glasses, bumping into strangers, jostling one another, careening off each other as we pinball from room to room

When isolation ends

We will yell above the din to get the waiters attention, order bowls of Laksa and plates of dumplings, debate art and politics and poetry and cinema loudly so you can hear the points I make. Finish eating, then walk out into crowded streets in search of something sweet

When isolation ends

We will watch movies in theatres, plays on stages, and dancers on the streets. We will clap and laugh, nudge each other to say, “Did you see that?”

When isolation ends

We will buy clothes, go on dates, travel abroad, get into fights, work our jobs, play in parks, live a life outside, rather than inside.

But,

when isolation ends

I’ll wish it hadn’t. Because all I want is one more day with you and me.

And no world to pull you away

Illustration by Sami Shah. May 2020.
thesamishah.com | samishah@gmail.com