Making Lines — A Poem

There is a line beneath the soles of my feet,
A line so many have crossed unknowingly.

Illustration by Hafsa Hashmey — Created on Adobe Illustrator

And every time that happens,
I step back,
I make another line.

Illustration by Hafsa Hashmey — Created on Adobe Illustrator

I’ve always guarded this feeble protection,
This linear existence
That I had failed to notice
The concession of markings
I was making.

Illustration by Hafsa Hashmey — Created on Adobe Illustrator

These protections had begun to resemble a pathway.
I wondered if I was unconsciously welcoming people to come closer.
I was always so careful in choosing the entrants,
And yet I was always the one crossing my own limits.
I was the one betraying myself.

So, I stepped back one more time,
And I made another one of those lines.

Illustration by Hafsa Hashmey — Created on Adobe Illustrator