When they see me,
They see me as Beast.
I am just the nameless insect.
Of no importance.
I don’t matter at all.
They notice me only when I sit on the Beauty.
The red Hibiscus.
I just sit on her.
Sometimes to relax.
Sometimes to camouflage,
To hide from predators.
What she has?
Which I don’t.
She is red.
I am red too with black hues.
What makes her beauty?
And I am not?
I heard humans passing by.
Calling me, ‘What a beastly thing’.
I see displeasure in their eyes.
As if I am obstructing them.
To enjoy the beauty of the Hibiscus.
They see a beast only.
A crawling predator.
Hiding.
Who are the predators?
Or monsters?
When humans pluck flowers mercilessly,
For their own pleasure.
Aren’t the monstrosity then.
Where I hide in the Hibiscus
Just to survive.
Don’t they camouflage too?
For their self interest?
Humans see monstrosity in us.
But they are feeble to look
Themselves in the mirror.
For them all is fair and beautiful
Which serves their purposes.
AH! END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS.
Trespassing Mother Nature,
Destroying Her, Raping her,
Humiliating her,
Who is the real Beast here?
Being part of Mother Nature,
I am as beautiful as Hibiscus.
I am not the Beast.
I am the Beauty too.
– Tabassum Tahmina Shagufta Hussein
photo credit: Nevyn P. Haque
Photo Copyright: Tabassum Tahmina Shagufta Hussein
Tabassum Tahmina Shagufta Hussein from Dhaka, Bangladesh is MA holder in British&American Literature. Now a Free-lance writer doing second Masters in Human Resources. Her Poems were published in Our Poetry Archive Anthology ‘Spiritual Poetry Beyond Borders’2018, The Pangolin Review, A Poem A Day @poetrypotion, Ink and Sword Magazine, Turnpike Magazine, A Tribute to Gabriel Okara Anthology, Academy of Heart and Mind, Tiny seed literary journal, Libretto Literary magazine and Our Poetry Archive Spirit of Nature Anthology 2019, Pomona Valley Review Our Poetry Archive, The Local Train Magazine, Cephalo Press, The Voices Project . Aestheticism is the essence of her existence. She can be reached at tts.hussein@gmail.com