I have the book in hand,
it holds such power
a power that I can’t comprehend.
The letters are pretty,
they look like drawings,
letters that I can’t make out.
The woman behind me
is 10 times my size,
yet she is leaning against me
our backs pressed to each other,
mine is hunched over from all the weight.
I keep silent.
Mom is far,
I can hardly recognize her
women look the same
a white futta
covering their heads, mouths, and ears
and a long sleeve black dress.
They look like ninjas.
They were moving
to the sound of books
being read by men
from behind a curtain.
The woman behind me
decides to lean on me even more
I lose track of the book
mom sees the confusion;
I give her the book,
she flips through the pages
she flips so much
I didn’t realize I was so behind,
they are fast readers.
I see the futta outline,
my hands are blurry behind it
I can see the outline
of my long sleeved
black dress
that belongs here.
In the Khelwe
Miral Fakher Eldeen is a Druze Arab Israeli poet. She’s completing her MA in creative writing at Bar Ilan University where her thesis discusses her identity as a Druze in Israel. She holds her BA in English literature and mathematics from the University of Haifa.
I sing to him
in English
I sing to him
Trazan’s song
I sing to him
“Just take my hand, hold it tight”
I cannot sing to him
“I’ll slaughter the pigeon”
I cannot sing to him
my childhood songs
I cannot sing to him
in Arabic.
Lullaby
Sohel Abu Hamood died on the 10th of March 1994 at the age of 56. He was a father, a
husband and a friend in Wadi el Fash neighborhood in Daliyat el Carmel. 10 days later a new
baby was born across the street to the Maklada family, they named him Loay. 8 years later, a
rumor was spreading: Loay Maklada is the reincarnated soul of Sohel Abu Hamood. He talks
about his past family, his children as if he’s still alive. Abu Hamood family did not believe at
first, he was born 10 days after their father’s death – it is not possible. Yet Loay was able to
open their door, remembering where the key was – on the door frame, he remembered that he
had to push the handle down and push the door open in order to open it, he remembered what
their father used to call them and that the neighbors throw garbage on their property. He
remembered every detail. He used to take a tour everyday after school on his bike around his
past property. His past wife’s name is Monira, her maiden name is Fakher Eldeen. His now
wife is called Miral, her maiden name is Fakher Eldeen, and she is his neighbor in both lives.
Reincarnation