Category: Free Verse

I write for, 

I write for two stars  

In two galaxies 

One is not existing without the other  

And one sees life through the happiness of the other 

In rough times, one wishes to carry the hurt of the other  

In the cold, she burns like an autumn leaf to warm her  

One holds the other’s dear, and the other hers cannot miss 

 

They both know that, only with each other  

Shame or guilt or anguish is to share  

Because even if the universe collapses to itself 

Their death dusts well they,  

Shall swirl and float endlessly  

In an endless abyss  

And nothing will remain  

But nothing can refrain  

The longing of Their union,  

the union of two of Cabanel’s fallen angels 

and infinity will swallow infinity whole  

but like an echo of eternal hope  

like a hopeless futility  

the union of a mother and her daughter 

 will remain one free soul.  

 

I will sing freedom 

Even if all the walls are covered in black 

and crows shout the news of death 

I will sing freedom 

Even if the small diary of my dreams is drowned in blood 

and my youth a story for the women next door 

I will sing freedom 

Instead of the sharp breaths of the street 

Instead of last date … 

and our sound that we cannot shout 

From you who are exhausted 

From my bloody hands 

From Injured birds 

I will sing freedom 

For the bloody skirt of Afghanistan 

For the peace that is on the way 

To laugh again 

to grow 

to live 

and the wish of last wounded pen…! 

exploding the bombs 

yeah! 

nothing can stop me 

I still have hope 

Ya Rahman, I submit this soul 

to you, Ya Rahman 

Which was never mine 

Oh Noor, cast out the shadows  

of death 

that grip necks, let light flood 

on that young face 

Ismail – and God heard him 

the cries of a father 

who pled to God to relieve him 

of his burden 

to sacrifice his son 

And God heard him 

Abraham, crying in the desert 

in full submission 

fully surrendering his ownership 

of his son 

Oh Rahman, Oh Noor, Oh Wudood, Oh Ghafoor 

Forgive me, for I have not 

surrendered 

Like my father Ibrahim 

the pain from the torment 

from the tear,  

Is a burden too heavy to bear 

For I am not a prophet 

flocking sheep in the sand 

I am but a lowly beggar  

of your mercy 

Oh relieve me from despair 

Let your Noor shine on this  

darkened place, this darkened face 

this maddened pace 

this futile race 

Oh Comforter, Sustainer 

Oh Healer, My Creator 

Restore the light of my eyes to 

a lofty place, in your 

Holy Eminent Grace 

Forgive us, so we can one day  

behold your face 

Ameen 

 

Smoke fills the early evening.
A field ripples with flames.
The sun sinks over the treeline
while children shriek and play games. 

Fires consume the field
while I’m consumed with worries
for my wife and, of course,
the beansprout that she carries. 

Viets have many talents,
but singing’s not one of their gifts,
as they mutilate the tune
yet warble heartfelt riffs 

into mics and amplifiers.
Ignoring the world’s faults,
just out of fire’s reach,
an old couple dances a waltz 

beneath new-planted trees
whose leaf tips char and singe.
This field was once a jungle
Yanks sprayed with Agent Orange. 

Now smoke from its brown grasses
merges with Saigon smog,
the shoe factory fumes,
grilled okra, fish, and dog. 

We park our bikes in the sand,
where the fire’s less smoky and smelly.
I take my wife by the hand,
kiss it and her pregnant belly 

as we scrunch at a tiny table.
We sip hand-pressed cane juice
poured over chunks of ice
and watch the smoldering hues. 

The western clouds are tinder
the field and sunset ignite.
The old pair has danced and gone
into their own good night. 

 

 

Where did you go when you stepped through that looking glass?
Leaving only shards of your image, shattered remnants of the past.
Did you find what you were looking for when your soul took flight?
Did you meet rest as your eyes closed one last night? 

Leaving only shards of your image, shattered remnants of the past.
A black hole formed, sucking light and breath, leaving only ash.
Did you meet rest as your eyes closed one last night?
Leaving devastation and reoccurring grief my constant plight. 

A black hole formed, sucking light and breath, leaving only ash.
The beast of my soul screamed in protest from the whip lash.
Leaving devastation and reoccurring grief my constant plight.
No chance at redemption for all the wisdom gained in hindsight. 

The beast of my soul screamed in protest from the whip lash.
I call to you to reclaim the guilt hung round my neck like a sash.
No chance at redemption for all the wisdom gained in hindsight.
The image of your face, just a flicker, makes my chest tight. 

Where did you go when you stepped through that looking glass?
Did you find what you were looking for when your soul took flight? 

 

I was sitting before a glass window 

Having a sip from my mug 

Watching children play a riveting show 

That awakened some memories from a grave I dug 

The sounds of juvenile bodies laughing and kicking their ball 

Took me back to the old times 

The old times where I used to run in every hall 

Laughing and dancing while singing nursery rhymes 

The good old days when my hobby was to run and bounce 

or be a young prince fighting the ogre living in the park 

When words like death and suicide were too hard to pronounce 

And my worst fear was to sleep all alone in the dark 

The good old days where my only worry was missing my evening cartoon 

Or if my grandma is making me my favorite soup 

Back when I used to steal from her tiny kitchen like a raccoon 

To bribe and feed the sleeping stray cat next to her stoop 

The show ended and each actor parted their way 

As their ballet turned into a fray 

Because of this ballet, my memories got rekindled 

And now my only wish is to turn back into a child 

By Anonymous 

Do you think you’re useless?
Do you think you’re clueless?
We all have these thoughts, so excuse us

We all want redemption
But we end up with an exemption
Was it our fault? Were we like this during our conception?

We hate ourselves due to this emotion
Where did we get this notion?
From where we were born and raised fueled by negative stress and emotion it felt more like a bad ocean.  

Where do we put all negativity? 

Some say to put it in creativity  or some other activity 

You may be clueless but your not useless and for those who think you are, they are pitiful and fruitless 

Don’t listen to those fruitless bum  

they ever want to do it to let down a chum 

after all they are all scum 

They might never learn                               nor they feel concern   until they learn that their price for apathy is they will burn 

As well as to be close 

it destroys to be unwanted 

As well as to be called 

it feels like a sparkle 

Pushing me to look forward 

It hits like a flame 

Of jealousy in my inner veins 

It sounds like a knock 

In my fragile heart doors 

It smells like burning 

A tree paper in the woods 

It tastes like bitterness 

In my sweet bitter tongue 

It seems like an alert 

Of a strong feeling of love 

It pushes my stalking eyes 

To keep looking for their prey 

They find it…She refuses to stay away 

But her legs are keeping her away 

From getting up and slay 

Instead, it feels like running away 

And giving tears the right to draw their way 

In the middle of a barren forest per say 

It hurts to be close 

As well as to be distant 

It made me disappointed 

Because of what I expected 

But then it made me proud 

Because of getting this out of my mind 

Those mixed feelings confused my mind with a question 

Do I really love you or I should call it an addiction? 

You, who barely notice me 

Stop turning your back and hurting me 

Every note is hitting my heart like a knife 

Unconsciously, pushing my eyes to stalk your moves 

But your eyes who, consciously, ruined my life 

Because of ignoring me and my tries 

Just turn your back I will be there 

Hoping that you will finally discover what’s there 

Hoping that I will finally discover if I’m a lover or a prey 

They push me toward you but it seems like an illusion 

Because of taking my daily dose of addiction 

Turn your back and answer my question 

Just tell me, Is this love or addiction?? 

Let me tell you I’m addicted to your love in slow motion 

I have built high hopes but low expectations, 

Created  million scenarios but just in my imagination, 

This made me drawn in hundred meditations 

Hoping that one of them will turn my dreams into actions 

Dark crawling clouds 

Prevail over my city Agadir 

Approaching with thundering sounds, 

And diffusing an air of despair! 

Running away to hide, 

I stumble in all sides 

A soft touch on my hands 

Just lead me aside! 

And whisper me: “STAY HOME”!! 

And “NEVER GET OUTSIDE!” 

“WASH YOUR HANDS”! 

And:” REST AND PRAY IN CALM!” 

As the soft hand moves away 

The shade of a DOCTOR, 

Through darkness walks away 

My hero throws me a last glance 

Full of hope and advises me twice: 

“FROM BELOVED ONES TO DISTANCE!!” 

As he disappears in the dark clouds, 

I still hear his words of wisdom 

That I should keep and spread, 

All over our beloved kingdom 

By Fouzia Boudyaf, ASI Teacher and Librarian 

 White pages, white minds, knowledge-flavored places
Why does time always fly by when you enjoy it the most?
Hours become minutes
Minutes become seconds as the teeth sink in the juicy shared tales of the compatriots 

If you drop by the gates of our class
You will witness a mesmerizing sight
Minds lost in worlds made out of dreams
Hands whispering to the papers all the esoteric tales that are kept tucked under the fantasies 

A sweet ache of joy will flash through your body
As you cross the barriers of dreamland
In it, you submit your imagination to the sovereignty of the pen
The emperor of the kingdom
The ruler of the words
He who dictates all the stories
And reveals all the hidden secrets 

Welcome to the space where we bleed our wounds into words
We grit our teeth into anecdotes
We cry, we laugh, we long for the lost love, lives, and light that lurk at the end of the tunnel
Welcome to our little world