Dina

“I did not beg him to stay
because I was begging God
that he would not leave.”
― Warsan Shire

“to love and lose and still be kind”
― Warsan Shire

“على الرغم من "ألا تعرف من أنا؟ أنا باشا أو ابن باشا" لم تكن قد اختفت تماماً، فإنه قد أصبح دارجاً أيضاً الآن قول: "ألا تعرف من أنا؟ أنا عقيد أو لواء أو ابن هذا أو ذاك". يريدونني أن التحق بالجيش.”
― وجيه غالي, Beer in the Snooker Club

“The Kitchen
 
 
 
 
 
Half a papaya and a palmful of sesame oil;
lately, your husband’s mind has been elsewhere.
 
Honeyed dates, goat’s milk;
you want to quiet the bloating of salt.
 
Coconut and ghee butter;
he kisses the back of your neck at the stove.
 
Cayenne and roasted pine nuts;
you offer him the hollow of your throat.
 
Saffron and rosemary;
you don’t ask him her name.
 
Vine leaves and olives;
you let him lift you by the waist.
 
Cinnamon and tamarind;
lay you down on the kitchen counter.
 
Almonds soaked in rose water;
your husband is hungry.
 
Sweet mangoes and sugared lemon;
he had forgotten the way you taste.

Sour dough and cumin;
but she cannot make him eat, like you.”
― Warsan Shire, Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth