An excerpt of a poem of mine
Author: strangerpaths
Poet, making sense of war, humanity, love and greed. Trying to find the magic in ordinary things.
I am Zee
Flower| Video
An excerpt from one of my poems read by me.
Tranquility
When the sun sets
And the moon is crescent and thin
When darkness covers the lights within
Candles flicker
In the village above the clouds
And I see the tranquility of a world passing by
Google Maps?
What gives you direction in life?
I usually use Google maps to get around! In my adult life, I don’t need much direction anymore. But of course, growing up, my parents were my big directors. These days, I follow procedures and policies in my work.
Fav Holidays. Christmas now, Eid Al Adha back in the day
What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?
Eid Al Adha during my childhood in Iraq meant no school for FOUR days! The best part was that mom didn’t work either. Dad would wake us up too early to go visit his parents and his side of the family in a town nearby. We would eat, get new clothes, receive money and gifts from adults, and have a great time.
Christmas replaced that now that we live in America. I like to buy matching pjs for me, my sisters, nieces, and my son. Getting gifts might not be the favorite part. I just enjoy family time and days with no work or school.
Camping memory
Have you ever been camping?
On the beach in a tent too small for nine broke students. And again in Bonnaroo in hot rainy July days. Memories my old self left me with. Memories I’m glad I made.
Older, I’m now uninterested in the idea and prefer a controlled environment for sleep.
Growth
The girl missed seeing
The creatures hiding in the brush
And the song they sang
When all else was hush
But the girl, a woman now
Replaced fun with a crown
And bare feet
With shoes too tight
The girl, in the woman
Looks on in the dark night
Hoping to see them again
Scars
He counted the moles covering her skin
As he brushed away the cloth that hid what’s within
And for once
She did not feel the shame
Of scars she cared not name
Enough
She admired the bird flying free
The rooted tree
Yet she knew she wouldn’t want to be
Anything other than herself
To her
She was just enough
Perception
They mistook ignorance for courage
A child chasing fires thinking they
were fireflies
Innocence of a hand that’s never been burned
One that hasn’t learned that everything dies
Stranger Paths 