Monday, February 19, 2007

Trying to Write again

“There is my fear
of no words of
falling without words
over and over..”

-Michael Ondaatje, White Dwarfs

This is for people who fall,
who trip over their own dangling
shoe laces,
over other people’s feet.

This is my fear
of no sound in the house
at two am. Of missing the breathing
of my mother because she isn’t there.

My fear of no words
of falling
without words
into sleep without breathing
my fear of
missing the bus because I slept
the extra ten minutes.

This is my fear of wearing glasses,
of being in an elevator with broken cables
of living ’till I die
my fear of
misspelling a word on the blackboard
with the whole class watching.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really like this - it has a lyrical quality and yet is about the everyday fears we all grapple with.

By the way, I know you love to read...and eat :)...have you read The Language of Baklava? I just just discovered the author, Diana Abu-Jaber, and I think she's a fantastic writer. I'm going to be posting an article she wrote right after 911 that is very beautiful.

noha said...

Thanks Sajda. Actually, the poetry section on your blog inspired me to write some more... it's good to feel like the words are coming again.
about The Language of Baklava, I haven't read it actually... It sounds pretty interesting; I'll have to add it to my list...

Anonymous said...

I love this poem,
wrote one of my own...

This is my fear of being uninspired, but yet you inspired me!