In which I Leave Behind My Passport


 
 
 

green as spring
as mint leaves
swirling in dark

red
green
black

I want no flags
in my tea no fags
in my teeth

يا بدوى

swirl me around,
I want to dance
with my country

give her a dress whatever
she likes whatever fits
or doesn’t

أنا لا أتمنيت
ولا قلت
يا ريت

but I will come back
with all the paper
you can possibly

imagine we will fold
them into every story
we’ve ever needed

hang them like فوانيس
on a cold Ramadan
night

 

Hazem Fahmy is a Pushcart and Best of the Net nominated poet and critic from Cairo. He is currently pursuing his MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. His debut chapbook, "Red//Jild//Prayer" won the 2017 Diode Editions Contest. A Watering Hole Fellow, his poetry has appeared, or is forthcoming in Apogee, HEArt, Mizna, and The Offing. His performances have been featured on Button Poetry and Write About Now. He is a reader for the Shade Journal, a poetry editor for Voicemail Poems, and a contributing writer to Film Inquiry.