Maliha Henderson
In memoriam
Maliha Henderson, 2006-2025
Budding writer and poet, sadly lost far too soon
Mature beyond her years
Daughter of Dr Naveed Hasan Henderson and Dr Philip Henderson
Maliha is a universal gift, so rudely taken by Ewing's sarcoma, who brought so much joy to so many. Gracious, humble, and multifariously talented, Maliha had a proficiency for poetic writing. Recognised and nurtured by her school, and infused with insight, enigma, and darkness, her talent was ripe. Here are just two examples of what could have been so much more:
Copyright © 2025 Maliha Henderson. All rights reserved.
Can you paint with all the colours of the wind?
unlike pocahontas
I am barred from my connection to the earth
my feet, when bare, feel the sharp edges of each stone
yet never find the soft curves that gently caress the heels of others
yet my blood yearns to seep into the mud
the tree always stumped
never flourishing
because I don't nourish it
the world is not a brightly lit canvas
simply a barren land
the paintbrush is within reach
but never quite close enough
my grey tinted glasses
cloud my perception
I am blind
but one day I will feel
the enriching spectrum
my limbs will weaken at the sight of such pigments
I will allow the supple ground
to swallow me
and soften my own sharp corners
i will become the painter
not only the admirer
i will weep at the enormity of it all
however i will never
forget the razor like stone
that led me to
such a bountiful place
where my own nature can grow
where my branches are the home of other creatures
I will awaken to the sounds of the birds
which call for the colours of the wind
LET ME GO
I know there is so much beauty in the world
That I still have to see
But I feel like I've seen enough
I am ready to part with it
I am full of rage and sadness,
And all things vulgar
And there is more ugliness within me than there is beauty on this earth
I don't understand how something so malignant can coexist with such serenity
I'm just bringing balance to the universe
I don't mind saying goodbye
If I am only a guest on this earth
Only carried by this vessel of flesh
And merely living on borrowed time,
Do I not have the right to depart
To bid farewells and leave.
For I'm simply a guest.
Please
I beg
Let me depart from this plane of existence
I don't mind taking a life
For it is my life to take.
My story was never meant to be written
For some reason it was.
But I fear there aren’t many pages left to write on.
Let me return to the shining cosmos, or the firey pits of hell.
I don’t care where I go, i just want to go.
Bury my body 60 feet underground.
Allow me to decompose at the will of nature
And do not be sad once I'm gone.
Know this fate is one I've begged and yearned for more than anything
Please my heart hurts. LET ME GO.