F-8/3

Lubna had to migrate with her husband and two young boys to the United States due to the prevailing political circumstances at the time. The family sought asylum and Lubna has been unable to return to her native country of Pakistan since.

This is a personal piece that depicts the map of her hometown Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. The longing and yearning to return  to Islamabad is represented by the birds converging to the area where she used to live. The memory filled streets of Islamabad are highlighted with gold leaf and the accompanying text is a poem by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, which he penned while in exile himself.

My Heart, My Traveler 

My heart, my fellow traveler
It has been decreed again
that you and I go into exile,

Go calling out in every street
turn to every town,
To find a clue
of a messenger (from my beloved land).

To ask every stranger
the way back to our home.
In this town of unfamiliar folk
we drudge the day into the night

Talk to this stranger at times,
to that one at others.
How can I convey to you, my friend
how horrible is a night of loneliness

It would suffice for me
if there were just some count,
I would gladly welcome death
if it were to come but once.