Zaman Hazir
Gilded by this august night
light both on sense and sight
my borrowed bike weightlessly glides
down the glistening Forth & Clyde
Along the curves of the locks
even the snobbish swans they mock
my machine’s aimless urgency
intensified by gravity
Seducing me with supple charm
branches softly brush my arm
slow down, they whisper, stay a while
but I’m too seasoned for their guile
Images courtesy of the author
What is that hypnotic smell?
hard it really is to tell
flowering bush or a deathly spell
that puts you a hundred years to sleep
and makes the sorry Willow weep
Sensing my sweet journey’s end
I slingshot round the last sharp bend
only to startle and offend
a walker and her furry friend
I raise my hand just to show
should’ve rung the bell, I know
but it’s still shaking with the thrill
of the magical locks of Maryhill
Though short, the winding path is worth
all the happiness on earth
these few hundred yards or so
can clear your head of all you know
and fill your heart with childhood’s glee
with treasures and enchanted trees
Zaman Hazir is a Pakistani MAMIL* settled in Glasgow. He loves stuffing himself into bright spandex and taking on local biker gangs of aggressively competitive 4-6 year olds. Other days, he can be found pottering peacefully around the flat (in a similar outfit) seemingly immersed in some obscure creative process. His links with art, design and writing are unverified.
*Mamil (or MAMIL) is an acronym and a pejorative term for a ‘middle-aged man in lycra’ – that is, men who ride an expensive racing bicycle for leisure, while wearing body-hugging jerseys and bicycle shorts. The word was reportedly coined by British marketing research firm Mintel in 2010.
(From Wikipedia)