Glued Eyes

in

I glued my eyes

not to see you my beloved

A phantom of a woman with crimson hands

Departing at sunset.

   

I cannot see all the destruction that ripped your beautiful body

I cannot stand the abolishing of mosques and weeping churches

I cannot hear your loud sighs

I cannot touch your broken heart

I cannot feel your fading pulse

I cannot weep anymore

I am frozen in the moment of departure

You and only you in my glued eyes.

 

I will dream of you every night

But with holes, a lot of holes in your face

Holes where the lost ones once been

My tears still burning my soul

Dead souls walking on the flaming sands.

 

I know my footprints will be haunting me

Until I step on them again

I shall return with more palm trees in my hands

And bird seeds to revive all the hungry dead pigeons

I shall behold your dreams my beloved

I will drown them in the bottom of my heart

Then wear a mask of silence

before the craws creep in and steal them from me.

 

Forever you are a baby in my arms

I sing you love stories

when you wake up

when we are indulged in the river of passion

All guilty and sinned

seeking forbidden dreams.

  Art work by Heba Zagout

 Poem written by Najat Alshafie in honour of Heba Zagout, the 39-year-old Palestinian artist who was killed with two of her children, Adam and Mahmoud, by Israelis in an air strike in October 2023.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/13/a-painter-a-poet-a-novelist-the-artists-being-killed-in-gaza

https://www.gqmiddleeast.com/culture/heba-zagout-artist-peace-in-gaza


 

Black & White

in

I am half half

black & white.

 

sometimes I say

my mother is a black knight flying a kite

my father is a white kite flying at night

sometimes I say

my mother is a white kite flying at night

my father is black as a knight flying a kite

 

I am a mixed race,

so, it does NOT matter who is a black & who is white!

which side of the moon is dark & which side is bright!

I am the 2 sides in a shiny night full of stars.

 

I keep the secrets hidden in my eyes

throne under my colored skin that never dies

pebbles obstructing my throat

signs on my face, hands & feet

hangers of my coat in the street

ME ME ME is my beat

black & white!


Writing and drawing: Najat Alshafie

The Rosewater Journey

in

It was a journey,

a mysterious journey,

happy as can be

started with a word,

ended with a word,

but there were endless tales

of lives joined by destiny

pursuing amazing adventures

encrypted in the embroidery of the divine land.

 

They were butterflies in a secret garden

Rosewater sweeping under their feet

And waterfalls cleansing their souls

Domes of mosques opening their doors

To all the colorful jewels of the glorious Spring.

 

impatiently awaiting

for the travellers to shine

sighed then cried the rain

more roses to grow

more mountains to climb

and more stories to tell.  

 

1/5/2017

Written by Najat Alshafie

Photo and painting by Najat Alshafie