ONE never writes an obituary of a friendship. Friends may pass away but friendship never does. That is how I feel about Khalida Qureshi — a friend who departed 34 years ago on 23 February 1983. My friendship with her lives on. I asked poet BADRI RAINA to send me a poem on friendshp. Here are some lines from Badri’s poem:
Friendship is the touch of truth
In a world of camouflage—
A plain-speaking toddler
That never comes of age.
Friendship sets aside with smile
Pretence and make-believe;
It wears a crystal heart
Upon a crystal sleeve.
Friendship is not mercantile,
It does not calculate
The latest TRP
Or lucrative exchange rate.
Friendship is a tendril brave
That redeems a fallen wall;
Friendship speaks of shame and pain
Without pursuit of fault;
Friendship is a conjoint soul
Under a heavenly vault.
Friendship makes the human sun,
It makes the human moon;
Friendship justifies the god above,
It is the Higg’s Boson.
There is nothing more for me to say
Zubeida Mustafa
