UNMOORED : Naheed Akhtar

UNMOORED 

Naheed Akhtar 

I wonder!

How the shades of time

look—like what the extent of it

means to?

where the noiseless footfalls,

pathless gaze,

unsettled feet, and

something underlying it

fall into?

The journey of attainment

or lost in the wilderness

passes on…

its merciless flee,

without announcements,

settles it somewhere

(rather call it nowhere),

and the being is pushed to follow,

having no breath of willingness.

(Naheed Akhtar is an Assistant Professor of English, a bilingual poet, and a PhD scholar in English Language Teaching (ELT), based in the vibrant city of Hyderabad, Southern India. Deeply passionate about poetry, she has established a distinct place for herself in the literary world.

Her poetic journey is marked by six notable collections: Phantasms of My Heart, The Earth’s Love, The Morphine, Beyond the Clouds, Let the Womb Hold and Other Poems, and The Jaipur Diary. She has also participated in several renowned literary festivals across the country, including the Festival of Letters organised by the Sahitya Akademi in 2024, as well as events hosted by the International Society for Intercultural Studies and Research (ISISAR).