More Corona Verses from Yahia Lababidi
Egyptian-American poet Yahia Lababidi has written a number of poems in response to our global health crisis. We hope these poems can afford you some comfort during these difficult times.
Lockjaw
Strange aches in quarantine
for our phantom limbs:
others and nature.
memories, longings
waking hours & dreams blend
with the daze of the weak
waking hours & dreams blend
with the daze of the weak
outer and inner are unclear
--this overcast sky
or that hangover
--this overcast sky
or that hangover
With no end in sight
beginnings called into question:
did we, always, live this way?
beginnings called into question:
did we, always, live this way?
Wait, did you hear that
are those birds chirping
or am I going mad?
Fever Dream
Every bed a raft
tossed at sea
afraid of what
lurks beneath
tossed at sea
afraid of what
lurks beneath
We do not float
but are connected
to the sea floor
like islands
but are connected
to the sea floor
like islands
Self-sufficient,
inter-dependent—
only paradoxes
can be trusted.
inter-dependent—
only paradoxes
can be trusted.
No sleep, now
only dreaming...
in the deep end,
every stroke counts
only dreaming...
in the deep end,
every stroke counts
Time to read,
then write and
rewrite our will
(as in willpower).
Never Retreating
a poet stands
trusting on front-lines
ready for martyrdom
risking infection
with the virus
of their age
trusting on front-lines
ready for martyrdom
risking infection
with the virus
of their age
she examines herself
erupting in flames
or forming antibodies
battling disease
growing stronger
to heal others.
erupting in flames
or forming antibodies
battling disease
growing stronger
to heal others.
Longing
It's natural, when relationships strain
and hurt mounts, that we recoil
from one another, retreating
into our selves to nurse wounds
But after a time, when we begin to heal,
bodies tingle with longing,
asking of us, insistently:
when can we touch, again?
The painting is by artist Agostino Arrivabene.
Yahia Lababidi is an Egyptian-American author of 8 books of poetry and prose. Lababidi’s new book, Revolutions of the Heart, is a genre-bending collection of essays and conversations, at the intersection of literature, social activism and mysticism.
