Did you know I finished four exams in one week and I still have 5 more in the next 12 days? And yet, that will not stop me from writing the poetic newsletter of the month. In fact, amidst such huge stress, poetry and reading are means of liberation and relief. JUNE 2023 Interesting stuff:… Continue reading JUNE 2023
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.
MAY 2023
It is said that this tree is related to the Samurai and represents ephemerality, as it blossoms for less than three weeks. In fact, the blossoms are on the ground, forming a pink carpet and the trees are green. May is [unfortunately] an eventful month for us Palestinians: Nakba commemoration, commemoration of many Zionist raids… Continue reading MAY 2023
AMIN
What’s the difference between a saint and a boy who throws rocks? The first inspires, and the second carries out. A slingshot released: Amin امين amin
In the praise of the succulent
Your verdant dress its lush layers caress the sun rays lurking through my window. Juicy with water, your engorged leaves, more like petals, surround you like a sufi whirling the center of the universe. Your luscious limbs twirl, slowly, like a paper-thin dough thrown in the air and landing on coals and stones become a… Continue reading In the praise of the succulent
A prayer for my generation
I hope I have stability in my heart and my mind. I pray that my friends stay close. I hope I will stop using social media so much, And I hope I don’t worry about the food I eat Nor the daily news. I pray that I’m taking advantage of my day, but I also… Continue reading A prayer for my generation
Withdrawals
ten days Now, I notice that it’s been this long Since I last folded my arms around another’s. Holding them tight, absorbing their radiating heat like a black hole that dilates into time, storing the memories for many times to come. At the beginning, I think it is not a big deal Because i’m… Continue reading Withdrawals
MORNING after the war
As he got older, he started to wake up early. His morning ritual is sacred: Prepares a cup of mint tea, puts 3% fat milk in the kettle on low fire And until it boils, He smokes his cigarette, and sips his tea under the vine arbor in the backyard. His gaze is distant and… Continue reading MORNING after the war
The pandemic of hope
Today more than ever, I feel hopeful. I’m a 25-year-old Palestinian who was born in the town of Arrabe, near Nazareth in the state of Israel. And today I feel hopeful. For the past few weeks, Palestinians have taken the streets to defend their dignity, their homes, and their basic human rights. I have witnessed… Continue reading The pandemic of hope
The yellow daisies at night
Are like a bald head of a devout monk Like a flipped golf stick. Like a ballerina in the midst of the jump The petals are her fluffy skirt. Yellow daisies at night are like a kneeling woman, washed by the shore. They are bold and brave, They lower their yellow petals like a tablecloth,… Continue reading The yellow daisies at night
Minutes before breaking the fast
My cousin knocks and enters without waiting for me to open the door, She comes in holding a plate of Msakhan, sometime of stuffed zucchini, And my mom receives her and hurries up to give her something in return- A Ramadan trade-off. The mouazzen starts to pray 15 minutes before the official break of the… Continue reading Minutes before breaking the fast
AICHA BINT YUSIF 