The Poetry Marathon

I’ve always wished I could fly
Soar above the clouds with my wings spread wide
In childhood dreams I would kick my feet together and float up and up
Watching as the world was shrinking below me

It’s different in an airplane
Your biggest concern is always where you’ll be sitting
Who or what will be to your left and right
Hoping you’ll be able to fall asleep at the right time and duration

But some things are the same
The excitement from racing down the runway and lifting off
Grasping onto the seat like you might fall off
The world below getting smaller like zooming out on Google Earth
And finding yourself above the soft, fluffy white clouds
Windows of opportunity to catch a glimpse of lands you’d never visit
The beautiful waves of sand dunes in the Middle Eastern desert
As I zoom from one end of the globe to the other
To visit my grandfather.

She yelled at me to come
To run to her arms wide open
To spread my wings by her side
To bathe in her sensations
When I was a child
But I was taught to fear her and her dark secrets
What terrors does she hide?
I am too young and weak to be with her
I must wait till I grow strong

I am no child no longer
I have denied her call a thousand times
Now she barely whispers
I am no longer afraid
But I am no longer excited either
I run to her searching for the salvation she promised
But all I hear is the sound of my own helpless voice
Still, she takes me in
Still, the wilderness gives me quiet respite
From the chaos of civilisation
As Robin Wall Kimmerer said,
“The land knows you,
Even when you are lost.”

Five times a day
Sometimes more
I stand at the ready
To salute my Lord
I recite his poetry
Reminding myself of his words of advice
Then I reach deep down
And loosen the valve
I confide in Allah
And ask for guidance in all that I do
Then I make a verbal tribute to a time when heroes led us
Let their legacy continue to bring light to this world
I end by acknowledging the angels by my side
When the day comes
I shall let them defend my case
One, two, three, four, five times a day
Sometimes more
I stand at the ready to salute my Lord.

So, you’re an adult now
All the years past have led you to this moment
Congratulations
Now here’s the million other things you need to do
To have a meaningful and happy life
Don’t panic
You have plenty of time
But there’s no time to waste
You can’t mess up now
Your training wheels have been taken off
But it’s okay to make mistakes now and then
Just make sure to bounce back like a champion
You have to be independent now
No longer in the nest
But make lots of friends that can boost your climb
Only geniuses can go this alone
But don’t be too trusting
You never know who might have sinister agendas
You’ll learn with time
But make sure to learn quickly
Yes, this is just the beginning.

I’ve dreamt of this moment
The hundreds of ways I would get here
From the day I gazed out the airplane window
Now I am finally here
At the highest point I stand
The sun blazing against my scalp
The glorious expanse in front of me
Waiting for me to jump into it
I take in a breath of the dry hot air
I look down at the path ahead of my
I let me right foot hover in space
And I let myself go
Rolling down a sand dune to its base
It was lit!

What is war?
That horrible event we fear so
God forbid I shall ever have to experience it
The destruction, pain and death
The injustice, anarchy and stress
What a cruel way to play out a political game

What is war?
A means to a transformative end
Freedom, justice, prosperity for all
Rewards worth dying for
The last promise of respite for the desperate
To ignite a paradigm shift for posterity
When any change is better than the status quo

Like any drama
War piques our interest
But only for a second or two
Most just last for too long
Too many seasons and plot twists
Reality reflected on overdrive
Many fight till they forget why they started fighting in the first place
Funding the greatest con in the history of the world
The belief that war is inevitable

She opened the bottle to let herself go
A flickering light began to glow
The firefly took off into the sky
Zooming through the air up high
She gazed into the distance
The treeline rose to prominence
The world was now below her wings
Yet it was strange
She could not stop looking at the vastness above.

“What does it mean when they send me lots of emojis?”
“Why do they type with so many flower emojis?”
“What does it mean?”
“What are they trying to tell me?”

Alright, listen up
I will only say this once
Emojis do not create meaning unless explicitly stated so
The other person just likes emojis
We must stop communicating in a disputed code and using language instead

The sand shakes beneath his feet
The air hangs heavy in rooms graced by his presence
Power shifts across the region at the flick of his finger
His enemies shudder at the whisper of his name
Make way!
He has arrived
Thobe, sandals, beard and all
Make way for Bin Salman!

It started with an all-encompassing vision
A bright future for all Saudis, maybe even the whole Middle East
With every step he took
The chess pieces fell
One-less obstacle to stand in his way
As many uncles and cousins as he needed to toss aside
For the puzzle-pieces of his master plan to fall into place

There is a beauty in the determination of the young
But there is also a looming danger of recklessness
Did Yemen have to suffer?
Did Qatar have to be blockaded?
Did Loujain and her peers have to be tortured?
Did Khashoggi have to die?

They are not the leaders we chose
But they are the leaders we have
Sitting in their grand palace complexes
Their walls graced with works by the likes of Da Vinci
But we must trust them to look out for the frail man on the street

His presence has been felt by the world
Journalists and academics alike chant his initials like a mantra
His grimmest expressions spattered across Al Jazeera’s reports
Discussions of his legacy has turned friends into foes

Maybe, just maybe the destruction laid in his wake
Will be healed by the changes he intentionally or unwittingly set into motion
Maybe underneath the haughty façade is just a deeply flawed human being with good intentions
Or maybe greed and power trumps all

One thing’s for sure
It’s the Season of the Prince.

The faint pitter-patter of light rain enters my ears
The first tell-tale sign of a good day
I do not wake till the sun shines bright through my eyelids
The corridor is empty
I let my skin soak under a warm shower
I don’t leave without wiping at the fogged-up mirror to find my fresh face

The trees pass by as I head to class
But first, a taste of sweet, milky, toasty-warm tea
That’s when I’m ready
My rear-end lands on that familiar seat in the room
Surrounded by the same smiling faces and laughs
My ears focus on the sound of Dr Jatswan imparting his wisdom upon us
Taking us across the globe, back and forward in time
Like getting an adrenaline rush from all the learning

The sun burns hot in the sky
Something I appreciate more now
The whirring-past of the train rings through my ears
I watch as the city flies by me
Occasional exchanges with strange eyes
Teasing stories I will never know

Loud meows greet me before even opening the door
The keys jangle as I reach for them in my bag
The comforting smells of home invite me in
I close my eyes as my bed wraps around me

I wake again to the sound of a warm voice
The voice that greeted me into this world
Higher and gentler than mine
But clearer and stronger
The gaze from her round eyes give me a sense of security
My home is complete now

The kitchen is alive with my movements
The air smells good enough to eat
Dishes prepared by my own hand
Good enough to fill my own heart
That’s when I am satisfied

The night falls
My Lord calls
The silence beckons
The prayer mat spread on the floor
Aimed straight for Mecca
My forehead touches the ground
And that is where I found
My truest self
In conversation with God
When my mind clears
There are no more fears
Only purpose and understanding
Tomorrow is promising
To be the ideal day.