A review by abetterjulie
3arabi Song by Zeina Hashem Beck
3.0
I wish I'd known there was a glossary at the end. I feel like I could have connected more deeply to many of the visuals and concepts. As it was, I went back and re-read, but for me, the first read of a poem is often the emotional impression I keep.
The universal experience of music as a cultural touchstone and musicians who mean more than a voice on the radio is definitely something to which I can relate. This collection seems to go beyond this, and outline how an entire nation can be saved by this experience.
My two favorites of the collection were Listen and Naming Things. These were powerful and drew me in to read over and over. I want to include my favorite passage here so that maybe you'll go pick up this chapbook:
War -
hums, I will make love
to you in a bed of blood and faith,
will show you her lips,
hide her teeth, her money-scented
breath, the rust on her tongue, the children
underneath her fingernails.
-pg 19 Naming Things
The universal experience of music as a cultural touchstone and musicians who mean more than a voice on the radio is definitely something to which I can relate. This collection seems to go beyond this, and outline how an entire nation can be saved by this experience.
My two favorites of the collection were Listen and Naming Things. These were powerful and drew me in to read over and over. I want to include my favorite passage here so that maybe you'll go pick up this chapbook:
War -
hums, I will make love
to you in a bed of blood and faith,
will show you her lips,
hide her teeth, her money-scented
breath, the rust on her tongue, the children
underneath her fingernails.
-pg 19 Naming Things