I remember it vividly. I woke up to distraught voices in the next room: voices of disbelief and questions marks; voices that sound like my brother saying REALLY? It can’t be possible. I opened my eyes, still hazy and confused: what’s going on? My brother sweet in his attempts to delay reality and to restore… Continue reading The day they killed our Shireen
Author: aicha bint yusif
Writing is my key to free spaces. I write to let things out and to chronicle some, and you're more than welcome to read them.
Translation of Ángeles Mora: Ironing the Winter Shirts
When spring gave its third notice in June, already. When days became certainly blue and the sweet light expanded indefinitely like the daisies in the garden that splashed the clean dress of the lawn with its yellow and white stains. When the spring came to stay and the mountains undressed in the distance she was… Continue reading Translation of Ángeles Mora: Ironing the Winter Shirts
May 2024
May is mighty. May is sad. May is relentless. It’s a month of Nakabat (catastrophes); of Massacres; of Mayhem. May is for workers and workers for May. Yesterday, the Columbia Gaza Encampment was dissolved by the NYPD forces, arresting tens of students and throwing away their tents. They think that robbing us of the material… Continue reading May 2024
April 2024
T.S. Eliot wrote in his Wateland: April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in forgetful snow, feeding A little life with dried tubers.” Life seems unreal. 6 months of live-streamed genocide. What is sanity… Continue reading April 2024
November 2023
Pablo Neruda lived in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War, and upon being asked why aren’t you writing poetry about lilacs and philosophy? he responded: come look at the blood in the streets Venid a ver la sangre por las calles. How can I write a POETIC TIMES post when a genocide is taking place… Continue reading November 2023
Octuber 2023
I finished reading Isabel Allende’s masterpiece La Casa de los Espirítus last week, and I’m still gripped by its magic.The story spans over more than 1 century and covers the tumultuos events that Chile (it also can be any other Latin America country) went through during the 20th century. The narrator, who is also one… Continue reading Octuber 2023
The Creative Writing Space in Ramallah رام الله
The driver of the yellow mini van(service as we call it, which refers to yellow mini vans that are used as means of public transpotation in the west bank. There’s no schedule: once the service is full, it takes off) pointed towards a hole in the apartheid wall and told us that we should take… Continue reading The Creative Writing Space in Ramallah رام الله
September 2023
September means pomegranates, overripe tomatoes and Earth Wind and Fire song. It also means beginnings and initiation. In Arabic, the word for September is Aylul (أيلول), which comes from the Syriac word ܐܝܼܠܘܼܠ. My niece is called Aylul. She’s two years old and already succeeded in bringing so much joy and laughter to this world.… Continue reading September 2023
August 2023
I always think of August as a bittersweet month. I feel it’s the last time to relax and enjoy before we start the next academic/work year in September. For the past fifteen minutes, I tried to describe specifically this feeling that I have towards August, and I couldn’t. The only thing that comes up to… Continue reading August 2023
JULY 2023
Late is better than never. Forgive me people (those of you who actually read the newsletter hehe), I had an academic burnout and I couldn’t think of anything other than symptoms and clinical signs. I finished my finals today, and I’m slouched on my couch recuperating the poetic self by writing you these suggestions to… Continue reading JULY 2023
AICHA BINT YUSIF 