A Temporary Faith

By Fareh Malik

There are dust-tinted journals on the bookshelf from when I was lonely. They’re filled to the brim with passages entered six months apart as the numbers of my friends swayed like the tides. The same wavelength that explained to my mom why I prayed five times a day when she was sick, and then stopped altogether afterwards. It is the Icarus in me that desires melted wax wings when I have good things going. It is the reason I have loved too shallow and too short; too deeply and too long. My conviction has proved to be more short-matchstick than candle, and it still burns my hand all too often. Comfort has writhed itself around my limbs and squeezed my muscles into submission far too many times. Someone once told me that it is most important to persevere when you get comfortable. Harsh rapids are easy; I am still trying to figure out how to keep my boat moving in still waters.

Fareh Malik is a BIPOC man from Toronto, Canada, as well as a seasoned spoken word artist and emerging written poet. The winner of Muslim Hands Canada's 2020 Poetry Contest, Fareh's debut book, 'Streams That Lead Somewhere,' is currently being completed. Fareh's individual works have been published by literary presses such as Waccamaw, 86 Logic, Open Minds, Dots, Twyckenham Notes and many others. Fareh's work has also been featured in several anthologies. He loves to tell the story of his own struggle, in the hope others can find inspiration and companionship in it. Fareh is currently a freelance poet and writer, working on his collection.