Today is Poetry Friday. Heidi Mordhorst, at my juicy little universe, is rounding up the posts this weekend. I’m in awe of her magical poem, “Kudzudoku.” How did she do that?
Thursday evening the Stafford Challenge had a guest speaker, Philip Metres. He shared poems and his poetic values. I heard of Philip last year when he and Jessica Jacobs used the same stock artwork on the covers of their books published at around the same time. They began a conversation about their books and poetry. I mentioned them in a post here. Tonight Metres read a couple of poems from his book Fugitive / Refuge and some from his new book coming out this fall.
Metres also introduced us to Marwa Helal, an Egyptian American poet who created “The Arabic” poetry form. The Arabic form is meant to be read right to left, have one Arabic letter, an Arabic number, and an Arabic footnote. Here is one short Arabic form poem Helal wrote.
I wrote this poem after our session.
In Today’s News
(A poem to be read right to left)
“.catastrophic” is Gaza* in insecurity food says UN The
.malnourished are one age under children 40,000+
today deaths related-hunger more Four
.leftovers for enough food had I while,
children were 106; 239 :far so, death to Starved
mourn to time afforded am I while,
.ago year a died who grandchild one
32 :attacks Israeli by today Killed
today just ٣٢ is That .seekers aid 13 including,
.needed I what for store the to went I while,
.Gazans for weeping Nazarene the for ن
2023 October since, Gaza on War The
61,776 killed has
154,906 wounded and
Enough!
* غزة
Source: Aljazeera.com
Oh, Denise, your devastating poem leaves me feeling bereft (as it should.)
Thank you for sharing about Metres and Marwa Helal.
Denise, the poem you created is strikingly interesting. The form and the statistics led me to reread the poem again. The sorrow and feeling of helplessness evolves from the words. Thank you for sharing this new form of poetry.
Writing from left to right is challenging enough. I’m impressed how you stuck with this poem to protest. Enough! More than enough!
Thank you for sharing this. I missed the presentation and hope I can visit it online. You poem strikes at the heart. It’s so unconscionable what is happening.
What a fascinating form! What a powerful poem!
Fascinating. And I do remember that same-cover coincidence and now I’ll go back and watch the Phillip Metres presentation. How did I not know you’re in the Stafford group–or are you lurking but not posting?
I’m really interested in how this form “works,” and whether it’s based on upending English. Thanks! PS> Your anti-spam today is “ok script”!
I see it seems I forgot to link to this article of Ms. Helal describing The Arabic form. Fascinating! https://msmagazine.com/2018/01/08/qa-poet-marwa-helal-arabic-form-poetry-preservation/
PS again I’m going on record to say what everybody should be saying:
I can support and love Jewish people and still condemn the utter evil that is being perpetrated by the leaders of the Jewish state.
And also, maybe, any state that has membership requirements is an outdated idea that can only lead to disaster.
Yes, Heidi, so true. I know most Israelis would like to have Netanyahu’s regime finished.
Thank you for introducing me to two new poets I have not read. This form is fascinating. I do think writing right to left is challenging. Your poem is heartbreaking and a clear call to action. Thank you for sharing it.
Unthinkable suffering. A genocide. You convey the horror Denise. We can’t continue to forget these kinds of cruelties, as in Armenia, Bosnia, Darfur, that each time some try to pretend isn’t happening.
Thanks for sharing this interesting form, Denise. You managed to include so much emotion in those lines.
.Denise, reality and heartbreak of rendering beautiful Such.
Your poem is heartbreaking on so many levels. On a more analytical level, I found it such an interesting experience to read from right to left. I imagine writing that way posed some challenges, too.
Denise, what a difficult poem to write and then read from right to left! You did an awesome job with such horrendous atrocities. My heart breaks when children suffer. There is no reason for this. I hope it ends. Now. Thanks.
Denise, your Arabic form poem is potent. Appreciations for sharing the two poets & this form.
Learning the form, which you have taught with example, makes me want to see if there is one out of moments in conversation with one of my past surgeons – who was born & raised in Egypt, now practicing in the USA. We talked about the Library at Alexandria, among other things.
Also I hope the Mrs. Krebs school year is swell!