Stacked on the back of his cycle,Comments closed
three shiny slabs of ice
are melting before my eyes–
how many friends will we lose
before rains bring relief
from this killing heat?
Meanwhile children in Rafah
are burning in tents
and schools–
we must uncover our eyes,
grieve and organise–we must
find a name for this fire.
We’re huddled at the junction
of five long, dusty paths:
a swollen, hammering sun;
withered wheat and grass.
As weary families near,
a bald man points and screams:
Look at how they pray–
it’s their fault, can’t you see?
Next morning, when I ask,
you say: It’s obvious–
That was just Amit Shah
trying to distract us.
That night, as our fan rattles
we sweat into the sheets;
there’s thunder in the distance–
we pray for rain and sleep.
Comments closedIn the midst of this summer of fires and floods, UN scientists announce the world will continue to warm for 30 years no matter what we do, and absent immediate, drastic action, this trend will intensify around the time our neighbors’ young children have children of their own. Three days after the report is released (and 19 years and 10 months after the US invades Afghanistan), Kandahar falls, and soon after that, Kabul, and then we all remember: some changes nest for decades before they hatch and fly; like the water deep beneath us— when will our taps run dry?Comments closed