Used, Served, and Honored
By Hamza Suleiman

 

Your go-to sweater, worn throughout the years,
Comforted you at awkward social gatherings,
Saved you a tardy by always providing an outfit to wear,
Witnessed your happiest moments—along with your worst.
Starts to show signs of fading color, snagging, and graphics peeling.
Now, it is unwearable.

Your aesthetically pleasing pen, used in all your classes,
Made writing less dull,
Finely tipped, it brushes softly on the page,
Sky-colored, reminiscing sunny afternoons,
Providing an escape from the classroom.
Now, it has run out of ink.

Your doll, a friend since youth,
Hugged you throughout your nightmares,
Ran with you during daylight hours,
The only one who listened, while others ignored.
Now, it has a shattered eye and a missing hand.

These are not losses.

Your favorite possession, now obsolete,
Wishes you a farewell.

 

 

Hamza Suleiman from US is enrolled in the Five-Year Physician Assistant Program at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was raised in the city neighborhoods of northern New Jersey, with familial roots tracing back to Palestine. He has a passion for writing nostalgic poems and stories that resonate deeply with readers.