They

Areeba Asghar

They used to laugh together;

sitting in the back

of a pickup truck.

Sometimes she would

grin a little too hard

and her red hair

would tumble out

of the green beanie and fall

slightly on the edge of

her faded Iron Maiden t-shirt.

They used to laugh together;

in the dark hues of the night sky.

She would hum

the same tune,

a melancholy melody

she had made her own and perhaps

theirs.

They used to laugh together;

an echo of their raging voices

still heard in the silence.

She would dream them out of their colourless town

and weave a path of colour

to a place they could be.

They used to laugh together;

breathless melodies to hide each scar.

She would close her eyes

and point to the stars,

hoping one would be enough to carry them

away.

They used to laugh together;

until two became one.

He would hum that tune on his pick-up truck,

the ghost of a smile still lurking on

saddened face.

They used to laugh together;

sitting in the back

of a pickup truck.

Sometimes she would

grin a little too hard

and her red hair

would tumble out

of the green beanie and fall

slightly on the edge of

her faded Iron Maiden t-shirt.

They used to laugh together.

countless stars glowing in the night sky.

Her fingers, long and lean,

would tap the headboard with a rhythm

and the rusty silver ring would

make an

infuriating sound

on the metal.

They used to laugh together;

in the dark hues of the night sky.

She would hum the same tune,

a melancholy melody

she had made her own and perhaps

theirs.

They used to laugh together;

an echo of their voices

still heard in the silence.

She would dream them out of their faded town

and weave a path of colour

to a place they could be.

They used to laugh together;

breathless melodies to hide each scar.

She would close her eyes

and point to the stars,

hoping one would be enough to carry them

away.

They used to laugh together;

But no more could they be heard.

Her tears, in the corner of green orbs, would slip out and land on

the rusty board, sliding slowly down

onto the uneven bricks

where they would forever be lost.

They used to laugh together;

once upon a time.

She used to wish upon the blowing dandelions,

until one such carried her away.

They used to laugh together;

until two became one.

He would hum that tune on his pick-up truck,

the ghost of a smile still lurking on his

saddened face.