Pakistan Poetry Magazine

Pakistan Poetry Magazine –

"The Breath of My Ashes" by Sidra Ahmed

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September 15th, 2026

Pakistan Poetry Contest #1 – First Place

The Breath of My Ashes

by Sidra Ahmed

I’ve grown weary of the hardened hearts,
The cold, unyielding ways of man.
I sought a soul where softness starts,
To hold me close, and hold me then.
Not for the wealth or the life he could give,
But for the spirit within him that glows,
The only reason I’d choose to live,
Is to be the peace that his heart knows.
I want to fall deep into his soul,
The very air he breathes to survive,
To make his fractured spirit whole,
And feel, for once, I am truly alive.
But I am lost in this dead-end love,
Watching him vanish like mist in the night,
As the stars go cold in the sky above,
And the candle flame loses its light.
Is this love, this ache in my chest?
To want to cradle him like a child,
To offer him a place of rest,
Within a world so harsh and wild.
I am tired of waiting for destiny's hand,
I’ve surrendered my mind to the Divine,
Accepting the fate that the heavens planned,
Even if his heart is never mine.
I’ll miss the dreams I painted in gold,
The life I had whispered only to sleep,
The stories of us that will never be told,
The promises that I was ready to keep.
But this is a flame I can never outrun.
It will burn my soul till the embers are spent,
Until every battle is lost and won,
And I am but dust in the firmament.
So let the fire turn me to gray,
To ashes that dance in the wind's soft snare,
I’ll find my way back to him anyway—
As the silent particles in his air,
I’ll settle within him, a ghost of the past,
To live in the breath of the man I adore,
Until I am part of his lungs at last,
And I have to wander this earth no more.

About the Poet
Sidra Ahmed resides in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications on Sidra Ahmed's Artist Page.

This poem is also featured in Poetry World #16, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.

Keywords: soul, destiny

Previously published in Pakistan Poetry Magazine:
This is the first poem published.

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