From the prayer hall

Whose bell rings in the temple tonight?
Whose hymn rises from the Gospel's heart?
And in the call of Esha,
does the muezzin still implore—
"Come, come toward salvation"?
Across the purified valley of night,
from the world's scattered prayers,
gentle lights drift upward,
carrying these questions into the dark.
From the fading pages of the Avesta,
birds and boulevards alike
slowly turn to vapour…

Dr Shiblee Shahed is a public health specialist, essayist, poet, and translator. His debut poetry collection was published in 2013 by Shuddhashar Publications and his poems and articles have appeared in numerous national and international outlets. He is a regular contributor to The Daily Star.