Low Flying Planes, and: Mist Miserable to Stone

Low Flying Planes, and: Mist Miserable to Stone Hajjar Baban (bio) LOW FLYING PLANES Part of my mouth feels the waterwhen I imagine you.I've learned how to remember. Though in my old homeno lakes, no elevation to facethe way. There were rooms without windows. My motherleaving, choosing metal. I learned of beautyhow you looked to say, "the words are escaping me,"you learned of death, my knowing this, when I reply, "no,it must be your parents that stole from you"To finish the lesson, then, there is, of course, a briefkiss, in the brief haven of the blue sky. End Page 37 Mist Miserable to Stone to be read from right to left after Marwa Helal After Halabja suffocated,I wrote a long complaint to God… … … … … … … …. .The next day, it was returned.God's fourth secretary down,A man by the name of Obaid,At the bottomOf the very same complaint, wrote to me in Arabic:"Idiot, make it ArabicPeople here don't know Kurdish.They won't take it to God." —Sherko Bekas but riddle not was language ouridea the shook language our of idea thecorrupted .curdled it place a ofI before even possibility every spoiled*.period that after inside empty .knewflooded a end treesknown be to gone laughter ,throat my to recognized be to currency ,faithbut word a not know towrecked that—threat entire ourwherever being people but land notme take .state one no ?wolves existed / were wepeople my beforeto God on reliedfrom us split foreverlearn to had we ,earth the,properly it hear to howflight nameless next ourfragrant something for slantedtry to favored never End Page 38 retreat beyond away—thought last the?nationalism in core whatminds captured thatsun to taken crevices from End Page 39 Hajjar Baban hajjar baban is a Pakistan-born Afghan Kurdish poet. Footnotes * Copyright © 2024 Hajjar Baban