First, a man with a penetrating gaze stops people and rummages through their bags; second, the man is joined by a grey frame that beeps when a metal is detected; third, a conveyor belt is added and another woman is placed to watch the screen and sometimes to press a button to re-watch the… Continue reading On the evolution of a bus station
Category: poetry
Memories of Dirt
Mixed with wet mucus I knead the earth and eat it In hand-fuls And arm-fuls. The video camera zooms in as I slowly swallow the soil; Engrossed and joyful. My logic drew a continuous circle from the time my mother told me we’re made of mud, as God said in the Quran, to the place… Continue reading Memories of Dirt
If ATP were to be human
If ATP were to be human, It would be a baker Providing bread; providing life. In another dimension, ATP is: The regal Adenosine, His sweet Ribose queen, And an entourage of Phosphates at their flank; Willing to give away their life For the kingdom of bread and honey Once called by the duty of an… Continue reading If ATP were to be human
I spend most of my time
begging others to be vulnerable To be weak; to be open; to be ample And to be read. But sometimes, I don’t. Sometimes it’s different Sometimes it’s not the same with everyone And everything. Sometimes it changes. Sometimes there’s not enough time nor light To put on a fight. Sometimes crying doesn’t help Sometimes running… Continue reading I spend most of my time
Anti-Zionist protest sonnet
You scream, I scream in defiance and rage Against the machines of occupation. Walking in Haifa, the smell of jasmine and sage, leads our feet to the demonstration. Flags held up by kids on their parents’ shoulders confronting armed policemen and horses. We gather slowly, never starting on time to shout and let them hear… Continue reading Anti-Zionist protest sonnet
Hibiscus Ceremony
I pass by the abundant hibiscus bushes On my way to the train station almost everyday; In the evening, they tilt towards the abandoned lighthouse. In the morning, they stretch to the limit of the skies. These red, yellow and white bundles of radiance take over a corner in my mental space: willful occupation of… Continue reading Hibiscus Ceremony
On the first of August Sonnet
Can I rejoice a mundane Saturday, commenced with the sun showering the walls the windows, and the plants? From far away, beyond the lighthouse, I hear the bell tolls And I don’t ask if it tolls for me Because I know without knowing that all the elements of this Saturday, albeit ordinary-… Continue reading On the first of August Sonnet
Annexation Day Sonnet
A poetic affirmation against Annexation. To have you close is to suffocate you With my own hands; with my own guns. Today I rise early to annex you, take you Away from them, but you cry silently. Why? Why do you cry? I’m your true lover You say I’m violent, this is not… Continue reading Annexation Day Sonnet
Three attempts to describe the sunset
A godly bonfirel clouds its coals and waves are its lyre rung like bell tolls. A heavenly terrace: thick clouds instead of cement make up its floor space hung by sun rays for a moment. A laboratory concoction diluted with fine measurements of grace its goal to test the human condition and… Continue reading Three attempts to describe the sunset
A Whole Life
Even at Easter, we practice social distancing; As far as a dinner table can allow us apart and still receive the blessing of resurrection. I see my cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents from afar. It is more like skimming through old family albums where Nazareth crowded hills tall and abundant skies appear from the back.… Continue reading A Whole Life
AICHA BINT YUSIF 