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maimona's review against another edition
4.0
I love the transparency in these poems!
- no pretty words to gloss and cover things up, the words are brutally honest and that's how it's should be!
So far the poetry deals with the life of women mothers and daughters, home, friendship, immigrants, religion, Hala-Haram, and more.
As a woman, I can only understand to a degree what other women deal with since each of us leads a different life with a different reality. each one deals with the pain and demons in her life in a different way. no one can fully grasp the pain of another.
Hopefully, things become better and easier for women!
What I didn't like in the book, is that the author used a lot of words that I couldn't understand unless I went to the glossary which I didn't know existed till I finished the book!!
I have to reread this soon to get the full experience of these poems.
A must-read book!
- no pretty words to gloss and cover things up, the words are brutally honest and that's how it's should be!
So far the poetry deals with the life of women mothers and daughters, home, friendship, immigrants, religion, Hala-Haram, and more.
As a woman, I can only understand to a degree what other women deal with since each of us leads a different life with a different reality. each one deals with the pain and demons in her life in a different way. no one can fully grasp the pain of another.
Hopefully, things become better and easier for women!
What I didn't like in the book, is that the author used a lot of words that I couldn't understand unless I went to the glossary which I didn't know existed till I finished the book!!
I have to reread this soon to get the full experience of these poems.
A must-read book!
hadestorm's review against another edition
4.0
“all these men between my legs, a gun, a promise, a lie, his name, his flag, his language, his manhood in my mouth.”
badgalnat's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars! Wow. I think I will carry some of these poems with me for the rest of my life.
★ 6 STAR POEMS ★
HOME
“I want to go home, but home is the mouth of a shark. Home is the barrel of a gun. No one would leave home unless home chased you to the shore. No one would leave home until home is a voice in your ear saying—leave, run, now. I don’t know what I’ve become.”
BLESS MAYMUUN’S MIND
Realising the dream of moving to a Western country can be a deathly lonely experience.
SAINT HOOYO
Gosh this one.
“I don’t recognize my own children
they speak and dream in the wrong language
as much as I understand
it may as well be the language of birds.”
BLESS THE REAL HOUSEWIFE
“Blessed be those who sit and wait
so hooyo sits, waiting for him to die.
Calcifying her one human body, staying
for the sake of the kids, then staying
for the sake of staying, enduring,
abstaining, waiting for the angel of death.
…
I ask, What if you die while you’re waiting?”
BLESS THIS HOUSE
One of those poems that sticks with you for a very long time.
“Mother says there are locked rooms inside all women.
Sometimes, the men—they come with keys,
and sometimes, the men—they come with hammers.”
ANGELA BASSETT BURNING IT ALL DOWN
Speechless.
“Mother did not snap, instead she stretched, watching yeast
ferment,
instead she busied herself with the process of preserving meat.
For years I’ve watched from the corner of my eye,
willing her to burn it all down.”
✩ RUNNER UPS ✩
MIDNIGHT IN THE FOREIGN FOOD AISLE
UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF STAYING
BACKWARDS (I’m dying to read some in depth analysis on this one!!)
BLESS THE MOON
TRICHOTILLOMANIA
EARTH TO YOSRA
VICTORIA IN ILLIYIN
GRIEF HAS ITS BLUE HANDS IN MY HAIR
★ 6 STAR POEMS ★
HOME
“I want to go home, but home is the mouth of a shark. Home is the barrel of a gun. No one would leave home unless home chased you to the shore. No one would leave home until home is a voice in your ear saying—leave, run, now. I don’t know what I’ve become.”
BLESS MAYMUUN’S MIND
Realising the dream of moving to a Western country can be a deathly lonely experience.
SAINT HOOYO
Gosh this one.
“I don’t recognize my own children
they speak and dream in the wrong language
as much as I understand
it may as well be the language of birds.”
BLESS THE REAL HOUSEWIFE
“Blessed be those who sit and wait
so hooyo sits, waiting for him to die.
Calcifying her one human body, staying
for the sake of the kids, then staying
for the sake of staying, enduring,
abstaining, waiting for the angel of death.
…
I ask, What if you die while you’re waiting?”
BLESS THIS HOUSE
One of those poems that sticks with you for a very long time.
“Mother says there are locked rooms inside all women.
Sometimes, the men—they come with keys,
and sometimes, the men—they come with hammers.”
ANGELA BASSETT BURNING IT ALL DOWN
Speechless.
“Mother did not snap, instead she stretched, watching yeast
ferment,
instead she busied herself with the process of preserving meat.
For years I’ve watched from the corner of my eye,
willing her to burn it all down.”
✩ RUNNER UPS ✩
MIDNIGHT IN THE FOREIGN FOOD AISLE
UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF STAYING
BACKWARDS (I’m dying to read some in depth analysis on this one!!)
BLESS THE MOON
TRICHOTILLOMANIA
EARTH TO YOSRA
VICTORIA IN ILLIYIN
GRIEF HAS ITS BLUE HANDS IN MY HAIR