Category Archives: poetry

a poem about the cease fire May 2021

Arabic after English (Italian will be added soon) Something I wrote tonight: the ceasefire came into effect a few days ago. the panic attacks did not cease with the ceasefire. the dangerous signs my body has been insistently sending me did not cease with the ceasefire. ——————— I am told by friends with good intentions:Continue reading “a poem about the cease fire May 2021”

walking through the hell of memory

walking through the hell of memory   I won’t be tied down by – memory of your ugly acts.   My body won’t be wrecked just because you – desecrated it violated it damaged it.   All these wounds of mine – they are mine to claim. I will make beautiful art with them.  Continue reading “walking through the hell of memory”

The cartography of my body

Come, don’t be afraid Take a closer look At my body. Can you see the map? I’ve mapped out the battlefield, Especially for you. All the wars fought on it. To the North – the ruptured country To the East – the desert of pain To the South – the river of blood To theContinue reading “The cartography of my body”

Fragments of a soul – شظايا روح

This is a rough translation of an attempt to write a poem in Arabic. The poem has obviously been lost in translation, but still, I wanted to share this with you. I’ll be writing on this in English in the coming period, and probably will use this rough translation as a basis for something moreContinue reading “Fragments of a soul – شظايا روح”

my dancing leg – poem by Ahmed Maswadeh

How do you know if a #poem is “good”? the most important element of any poem is whether it succeeded in moving me as a reader and evoking an emotional response in me. The following is a poem written by my dearest friend, Ahmed Maswadeh. I don’t usually share the work of others here, but this time IContinue reading “my dancing leg – poem by Ahmed Maswadeh”

when you become a third-person narrative

my close friends know that when i completely run out of words, that’s when the poetry flows out of my soul on its own. but right now, even poetry is failing me. All i have is one line, words that are swimming in my mind in an endless loop, hitting the walls of my brainContinue reading “when you become a third-person narrative”

War is not my Language – الحربُ ليست لُغتي

I wrote the War is not my Language الحربُ ليست لُغتي poem on 19 July 2014, during the military attack on Gaza, accompanied by a small photography project. Today, I decided to make my first attempt at spoken word, recorded it and uploaded it to Soundcloud. You can listen to it here: War is not myContinue reading “War is not my Language – الحربُ ليست لُغتي”

calling Jerusalem Haifa Amman

I wrote this poem two days after my friend, Ahmed, who was protesting non-violently in Al Quds (I had his live-stream where I could hear him shouting “We are non-violent” both in English and Hebrew). In another live-stream, he tried to get inside Al Maqased hospital to donate blood, and in return, he got aContinue reading “calling Jerusalem Haifa Amman”

Mama, you will always be home

I watch her eyes as she watches the news. I watch the fear almost spilling out. Behind the glass windows – A horror movie. A helpless ninety year old woman – Beaten in her bed. Wheelchairs parked in the middle of the night – In the corridor. Slumping wrinkled bodies sleeping – In the wheelchairsContinue reading “Mama, you will always be home”