A NEW ANTHOLOGY, A NEW FRIEND

I found a new collection of poetry, which has me captivated. It is kind of like meeting your neighbor over the back fence, and starting to get to know her.


The depth of the relationship depends on the amount of effort you are willing to put into it, and this one is well worth the effort.


The whole world "knows" what these women think, need, and should be about. So it is both refreshing and imperative to hear from their own voices.


The Poetry of Arab Women

"Although the poems vary in style and scope, there is nevertheless the feeling that this volume begins to give voice to Arab women poets, an often-unheard group."
Handal, Nathalie, ed. The Poetry of Arab Women: A Contemporary Anthology (2001).

It was not easy to find information on many of these gifted poets, a situation I hope changes soon. One example:

Naomi Shihab Nye

Nye gives voice to her experience as an Arab-American through poems about heritage and peace that overflow with a humanitarian spirit. About her work, the poet William Stafford has said, "her poems combine transcendent liveliness and sparkle along with warmth and human insight. She is a champion of the literature of encouragement and heart. Reading her work enhances life."

The Poetic World of Naomi Shihab Nye
Naomi Shihab Nye: A Bill Moyers Interview
Naomi Shihab Nye, Children's books
Interview with Naomi Shihab Nye
Books by Naomi Shihab Nye
Naomi Shihab Nye: Award-winning Poet, Writer, Anthologist, and Educator

Letter from Naomi Shihab Nye, Arab-American Poet:
To Any Would-Be Terrorists

Truth Serum
- Naomi Shihab Nye

We made it from the ground-up corn in the old back pasture.

Pinched a scent of night jasmine billowing off the fence,

popped it right in.

That frog song wanting nothing but echo?

We used that.

Stirred it widely. Noticed the clouds while stirring.

Called upon our ancient great aunts and their long slow eyes

of summer. Dropped in their names.

Added a mint leaf now and then

to hearten the broth. Added a note of cheer and worry.

Orange butterfly between the claps of thunder?

Perfect. And once we had it,

had smelled and tasted the fragrant syrup,

placing the pan on a back burner for keeping,

the sorrow lifted in small ways.

We boiled down the lies in another pan till they disappeared.

We washed that pan.

Naomi Shihab Nye, “Truth Serum” from You and Yours. Copyright © 2005 by Naomi Shihab Nye. Reprinted with the permission of BOA Editions Ltd., www.boaeditions.org.

Source: You & Yours (2005)