Not your lavender

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I blossomed in a land far away,
Soon uprooted, they tilted the soil out of my way. 
I screamed to them  - I am a wildflower meant to stay under the sky,
Yet they trampled me and left me there to die. 
I sang the saddest sonnets to tell them:
I am not your lavender! 



I am not your lavender,
Don’t pluck me at your will,
Find me in the meadows, not in the vases left to kill.



I own my purple hue,
I remain untouched; I will shine anew.
My fragrance won’t waft to smooth you with a gentle breeze,
I will light up like sapphires mounted on mighty pine trees. 
I am untamed, don’t crown me in tangles,
But I won’t mind accompanying the scars swirling around my wrist with bangles.



I am not your lavender,
I am wild and free.
Not yours to claim,
It’s a shame you can’t see. 
I will grow against the odds,
And live by the will of the lord. 
I break free from your vase. 
It’s time I closed your case. 



I am not your lavender,
Let me whisper this and surrender.
I am not your lavender!


Shuja Tasleem




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