Doctor and Cat Gaza; heard on BBCIt doesn’t matter whose side he’s on.Forget sides. I can’t help thinking of this doctor, stunned, soul piercedby suffering; how, dazed, he searched for his terrified cat; knowing the touch of his bloodied hand would comfort a frightened creature, knowing her softnesswould bring him rest. In time, he foundContinue reading “3 poems by Carole Giangrande”
Author Archives: darcie friesen hossack
Untitled, it is. A poem by Jay Yair Brodbar
Untitled, it istoo raw on the eye, too raw for the pen. The seen cannot be unseen. A crib—emptied save a smallteddy sodden in curdles of blood.The young woman yanked outof an armored jeep, her back to the screen, cherry-red splotches congealed on her jeans. A wall lined with family photos—young marrieds, elders bearded inContinue reading “Untitled, it is. A poem by Jay Yair Brodbar”
3 poems by Poet in Residence Mansour Noorbakhsh
How Come? After, “Prayer For Sunset” by Leonard Cohen. Today could still be a good day. Believe in occasional love.A hunter, a friend of mine, spent a whole night atop a tree coaxing a bear that followed the smell of burnt honey to its death.“How come?” I asked him. “Leave a door open for imagination.Continue reading “3 poems by Poet in Residence Mansour Noorbakhsh”
2 poems by Jameson Chee-Hing
A Fallen SunThe sun shinesWe do not seeBlinded by rageWarsSenseless slaughterWe hurt each otherThe sun shinesDarkness in our heartsConsumes usThere is goodness in usWe do not seeThat light so brightBurning like a thousand sunsBut buriedVeiledLike a fallen sunWhy must it be this way?The sun has fallenIt may never rise againWhy should it?Why would it?When willContinue reading “2 poems by Jameson Chee-Hing”
3 poems by Sheila E. Tucker
knitting sockshow much more can I hear and seeof our macrocosmseared onto tv screenblasted into newspapercellphone tablet radiomother of two nakedlying face down deadmetal screws hammered into torsobullets through saturated pelvishusband’s body nearbyexcept for his headwhich rolled down a ditcheyes and mouth wide openhow much more can I hear and seechildren crushed under concretebullets tearingContinue reading “3 poems by Sheila E. Tucker”
4 poems by Masayuki Tanabe
The Little Girl in a Bomb ShelterAs Putin’s war ragesLike the fire of the netherworldA little girl sings “Let it go”In a bomb shelterTo lift the dampened spiritsOf the people thereIf I could speak to her heartI would say“Keep singing brave childDon’t let your heavenly voice be silencedAnd encourage others to burst into songNo matterContinue reading “4 poems by Masayuki Tanabe”
The Meditation of a South Sudanese Refugee. A poem by Geraldine Sinyuy
The Meditation of a South Sudanese RefugeeWhy has the ground under my feet become so shifty?Why has the comportment of the government become so dirty?When and how did we get here?Why are the mountains grumbling like a charged diarrhea?How long shall I walk these winding roads of displacement?I behold cracked feet and broken faces,Starveling childrenContinue reading “The Meditation of a South Sudanese Refugee. A poem by Geraldine Sinyuy”
In the Slips. A poem by Pratibha Castle
In the Slips While the world watches, Violetta, clad in yearsthe measure of a week,journeys from Odessa with her doll and cat and a Granny, face a crumpled map of lifetime drills framed by a scarf the colour of losscompels a soldier boyput this flower in your pocket hopes his flesh, rotted into trampled mudboneContinue reading “In the Slips. A poem by Pratibha Castle”
Shaheed شهيد A poem by Adriana Oniță
Shaheed شهيد “As you prepare your breakfast, think of others.” — Mahmoud DarwishToday, I learned a new word.شهيد Shaheed. Witness.One letter separates martor from martir.One who knows / One who knows the truth.* *Reem—a cerulean laugh when your grandfather Khaled tosses you into the air.Hind—two pigtails, braided with almond blossoms.A high-pitched voice on the phone:Continue reading “Shaheed شهيد A poem by Adriana Oniță”
Shavasana. A poem by Marthese Fenech
ShavasanaAnd how can the light in meHonour the light in youWhen my light burns so dimBecause I can’t holdDownward dog for fifteen secondsWithout thinking about theFifteen childrenWho have lost limbs and lives to rocketsIn the time it takes me to get the poseRightOr when I stand in Vrksasana and stretch my armsLike branches to theContinue reading “Shavasana. A poem by Marthese Fenech”
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