.
From “ON THIS WORLD WHERE THE ANGLO-ZANZIBAR WAR ERUPTED”
—written partly through reading Semezdin Mehmedinović’s Sarajevo Blues
.
Who designed shrapnels
So they can’t be cleaned out of
Flesh? Blocked consciousness
Does not react to war but
Prepares for years of battle
.
I forgot the bodies of Kali warriors memorizing halad so that deadly positions surface more quickly and efficiently during hours of battle
*
They allow the boy
To cut into the water
Line but the grenade
Gets him after he reaches
The end of such a short street
.
I forgot curtains.
*
I think solitude
Means the city is alien
We step over shards
Of glass glinting on the streets
People think only of now.
.
I forgot the white light, white roses, white silk, white lace and white pearls that adorned my wedding—instead I remember this happy day included the whisper, “Mama, glass is easily broken.”
.
Eileen R. Tabios loves books and has released over 50 collections of poetry, fiction, essays, and experimental biographies from publishers in nine countries and cyberspace. Her 2018 poetry collections include HIRAETH: Tercets From the Last Archipelago; MURDER DEATH RESURRECTION: A Poetry Generator; the bilingual edition (English/Spanish) of One, Two, Three: Selected Hay(na)ku Poems; and TANKA: Vol. 1. Translated into eight languages, she also has edited, co-edited or conceptualized 14 anthologies of poetry, fiction and essays. Her writing and editing works have received recognition through awards, grants and residencies. More information is available at http://eileenrtabios.com
.
.
North of Oxford 