Bitter Comfort, by Meerub Tariq
Have you ever sipped hot coffee
on a late winter evening
that burns your tongue
and robs you of night’s sleep?
Only for when it passes your throat
somewhere near the heart,
you swell with that warmth,
that no one else can give.
Meerub Tariq is a 12th-grade student, writer, and aerospace engineering enthusiast from Pakistan. Her work has appeared in various literary journals, and she has co-authored several anthologies. Outside of writing, she enjoys reading, skating, and playing the flute. She recently made a preliminary asteroid discovery as a NASA Citizen Scientist. You can find more of her work on her website: meerubtariq.carrd.co and Instagram: @memeerub7
— Meerun Tariq
