Moments Fleeting

Moments Fleeting is written by Fatima H. Dia. A counter to the bleakness she felt when she wrote Dear World, I Can't Sleep.

There are moments, countless moments, when eternity seems bleak

I wander round and round, wallow in defeat

But in the depths of night, where darkness looms

In the split of a second, a voice blooms

It sings;

There’s a story to be told, somewhere there Between winking stars and river breaths

Somewhere here With frolicking winds and calling voices

A moment in a life, with the expansion of lungs and

Inhaling of faery dust— blinking shimmer, exhaling glitter

Have you seen a night so dark there’s nothing but light? Unravel that paradox that complements rather than contradicts, what do you see?

Life?

Death?

One and the same?

At the blink of that star, feel the rippling wave in the sky

As the river sings a lullaby

A blasting, fleeting, shooting star

Unfolding the universe within your eyes

In a split-second that tastes like eternity

I listened as the moon cooed may name and the universe smiled, elevated

Something in that light’s voice spoke power, spoke silence, spoke life

Slowly my skin, shimmering as my very particles simmered,

Turned laden with otherworldly diamonds in colors not of this world

Slowly, the universe shifted as the moon and stars descended

Slowly, the East awoke, bringing with it a tidal wave of clouds kissed by pink

Shifting the endless blue of the sky into a soulful indigo

Oh, hear the birds’ good morning to the approaching sun

I watched the sky rise and love herself in all her colours

I watched as the indigo slowly made way for the magenta

I watched as the moon refused to leave, determined to greet her sisters herself

There, like petals in their softness, pigments of royal orange played with marigold

Shades of lavender ran from the corner of the world, Giggling as they found spots of carnation to kiss

There, flutters of ruby grew vibrant, basking in hibiscus and raspberry wine

I watched as the children of Light merged into the darkness,

An orchestra of whispered blues let go

A melody of smiles

The moon’s cooing call alive

Gold slowly joined the shy bumblebee yellow

Hinting of the Star that was to come

With a Canary song

A dandelion breeze touched my face,

Leaving a Tuscan sun to mirror the sky’s music inside me

As Her colors made their way across the universe, So did my Tuscan sun make hers within my own. As Her music built up to an unending crescendo, I felt Her secrets fill my veins with flames, My lungs with the sea

I was Her and She was me, We were all and we were none

Within that second of eternity,

An explosion of light filled my eyes, my body, my soul

Within that oneness, nothing mattered

There’s a story to be told, one of magic, one of old

A tale of time and shine,

of colors that were wholly mine

I inhale a breath anew, and remember

Like I to the universe belong, so She belongs to me.

About the Writer: Fatima is a Lebanese-Brazilian writer exploring the human experience, memory, displacement, and the resilience of love and existence. Her work bridges personal history, political undercurrents, often set against the changing landscapes of Beirut, and beyond.