کس قدر بے آواز تھی وہ شب
How silent was that night

کتنی گہری
How deep

اُس کی سحر انگیز آنکھوں کی طرح
Like those magical eyes

ہم بھٹکتے ہیں کسی بےجان دل کی آواز پر
I went astray to the sound of a dead heart

کوئی بُلا رہا ہے اب بھی
Someone is calling still

بچپن کی بھولی ہوئی اُس شام سے
From that forgotten evening of my childhood

پُکارتا ہے مجھے
Calling out for me

جانا چاہتی ہوں
I long to go

بہت دور
Far away.

Love Letter II 

Halah Khan

2021 CE

Saddle-sewn textile panels embroidered with Urdu poetry in red thread and other gold-embroidered decorations, crocheted yarn, and red ink 

N7433.4.K4739 L68 2021 artists book 

Love Letter II, with its multimedia elements, references both traditional bookmaking and contrasts with the normative perception of book. The wide, non-paper pages and red and gold colors echo the structure and colors of ancient manuscripts. However, the works feel futuristic as it pushes past printed letters, incorporating embroidery and crochet. Khan not only asks us to expand our idea of the book, but of the body. Red thread, golden wire, crocheted elements, and ink stains create a visceral reading experience that, when coupled with Khan’s poetry, call into consideration the connection between our bodies and our memories. 

Ivy D’Agostino