Dare
The bottle spins. Our darting eyes follow
Each turn, wishing for the courage to choose
Truth. The bottle stops next to the hollow
Between your elbows, and - ‘dare!’ you cry out,
Before I can quite ask.
I know your questions. You know mine. We squeak
‘Dare!’ each time, and sigh. We spin the bottle,
We dare, dare, dare, everything but to speak
And unleash with severing clarity
The looming storms of truth.
Hibah Shabkhez is a writer of the half-yo literary tradition, an erratic language-learning enthusiast, and a happily eccentric blogger from Lahore, Pakistan. Her work has previously appeared in Rougarou, Backstory Journal, Porridge Magazine, Boats Against The Current, Samjoko Magazine, Five Minutes, and a number of other literary magazines. Studying life, languages, and literature from a comparative perspective across linguistic and cultural boundaries holds a particular fascination for her.
DIY MFA 