A review by lauren_endnotes
The Lost Arabs by Omar Sakr

"Do not rush
to make a judgement.
You can savage a body at speed.
A city can be ruined in an hour.
A life of decades dashed in a second.
It takes nine months to start a life."

~first lines of "Do Not Rush"

Strong collection by Arab Australian poet Omar Sakr. He questions and probes the notions of family and nationality, faith, sexuality, and conflict.

Some other faves:
"Ameen" -
"In the grip if a nightmare
it is to Arabic I return
for solace."

"As the Bombed City Swells (in a Viral Video)"
"Fools, the rootless man replies, look to the future --
do you not see the oasis has come to us,
do you not see me blooming here like the rarest of flowers? Truly the Arab Spring has arrived."