مدخل للحزن
Illustration by Mosab Zkaria Marwa Elamin is a Sudanese doctor, neuroscientist, and poet who was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. When she was due to start high school, she moved back to her home country of [...]
A Call To Prayer
Part of SAWTI Zine Issue 1 I want to be the sun that raises you in the morning the voice that brings you to prayer the oil for your libation the placenta that feeds you [...]
“أشتات”
.. في اوقات اتراجع عن اقوالي وعن انفاسي وعن بعض الخطوات اتقاطع مع ظلي الممتد على جدران بيوت الاشباح و اسفلت الطرقات وفي ظلمات الندم الاسود امحو المعنى من أيامي و اجلد ذاتي آلاف المرات تخبو [...]
مَن تَقتُل
ذاكَ يعسوبٌ مُخَضرم وذاك فهدٌ وتِلكَ شِبلَه وذاك جيشٌ في جسدِ طفلٍ وهي عوالِم في شكلِ طِفله. أما ذاك فهو خُنفُس في حجم عُقله وهذا عقرَب وهذِ أفعى وهي حُبلى.. فمن تقتُل؟ في هذا الغابِ من [...]
“Wad Madani”
When the skies turn a color of blue And your grandmother lingers around the rooms When you hear the cups clashing, The kids screaming and laughing, the birds singing, almost dancing It is morning in Wad [...]
‘The backing swell and ache of abdul basit abdus samad’
After Momtaza Mehri ‘Glory To Be To The Gang Gang Gang’ If everyone’s voice is abdul basit’s and we whisper to ourselves abdul basit. Abdul basit, the people in the nile, bucking against me, abdul [...]
Darris Haboaba #٦٣
“You should go in the morning” haboaba tells me, “that’s when the prices are best.” Today’s lesson is haggling with shop keepers. She says, “don’t let them fool you”; reminds me “they’ll make up their prices [...]
Balcony
I want to hold the truth between us but there's no currency for love in memories like ours. 'Describe the home where you grew up' I'm asked on the form and all I remember are stairs. [...]
and this, we too, call home
after Mahtem Shiferraw a corner shop not on a corner; as ironic as the friendship between its owner and the little girl from Soba, who lived above it. they played pretend and teased each other like [...]
ltd. ( letters.that.drag )
For ح, who danced himself out of the war with jackal laughter, in love with a different woman every night to wake up alive in the morning. For ر, who filled up her basement with my books [...]