Afra Ahmad - Issue 34

Afra Ahmad is a writer, poet, artist, and calligrapher. Based in Taiwan, she holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature. She writes about everything under the sun, from dark societal issues to problems faced by teenagers, imparting chunks of wisdom through her poems, stories, and write-ups. Her works have appeared in various magazines, including Iman Collective, MYM, Rather Quiet, Ice Floe Press, Olney Magazine, The Malu Zine, The Sophon Lit, Blue Minaret, Melbourne Culture Corner, Her Hearth Magazine, The Hot Pot Magazine, Ghudsavar Magazine, Eunoia Review, Alternate Route, Ink In Thirds, Porch Lit, Zhagaram Literary Magazine, Broken Spine Collective, Duck Duck Mongoose Magazine, Afterpast Review, Unlikely Stories, Rewrite the Stars, Spillwords Press, and A Thin Slice of Anxiety.

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Mound of Sins

Lately, I've been mulling over 

the mound of sins 

that have twisted my soul, 

until I collided with "repentance".

Knitting was my favorite pastime 

as a child. 

Sometimes, when I would sew erroneously,

I just had to take out the thread 

with the help of a needle, 

and the embroidered design 

would come out accurate after that. 

Exactly like that, 

repentance smooths out the curves 

of brazen blunders of the past 

that have strangled my spirit 

with awful shame and sorrow.

For a man who has sought forgiveness wholeheartedly 

is no longer like that poor design 

threaded on a piece of cloth!