Bibliotheque National Tunis

Pushing and shoving and
Massive line cutting
"Knowing" your needs better than you
Dirty streets (with delicious eats)
And yelling nonstop
Is just how these Arabs do

Library of Alexandria

Busy road, busy day
From Cairo we raced away
Alexandria at the end
Merely for this poem to pen

Greater Cairo Public Library

I wish I had some gum right now
On which I could be chewing
A small distraction for my mouth
While my mind is brewing
My focus now: a million things
Wants and needs be done
Mastication might slow me down
And allow a moment's fun

Library near Rainbow Road

A shovel full of hummus
And olives bowl by bowl
If I’m not careful
I won’t walk; I’ll roll

Fifty dinars postage
What a dumb thing to do
There’s a dozen cheaper ways
To send fifty “I love you”s

Library near Hashemite Square

Hustle and Bustle
No rest for thee
We must keep moving
There’re ruins to see

Dirty Dingy Dusty Jordan
What an increase in mental load
To wonder what new horror awaits
When next I visit the commode

---

One of the greatest sights so far
A desert night and lots of stars
The moon throwing me a crescent smile
And Saturn, Jupiter, Venus in single file
With that sight a pleasant sound
Silence! By God, there’s no one around

Batumi, Briefly

Braindead in Batumi
Functions depressed
Struggle each morning
Just to get dressed

Half hungry half tired
Unsure of my needs
Brain dredges up
Forgotten misdeeds

Construction Complaints

“Quit your bellyachin!” Big John scolded the crew of seven. “I won’t stand for it.”

A whisper made its way into one of the crew’s ears about how few things Big John - a euphemism, as calling him ‘Fat John’ was grounds for dismissal - would stand for. The man into whose ear this sentiment was whispered snickered involuntarily.

“Who’s cracking jokes? I should dock all your pay.” At that there came a chorus of ‘fuck yous’ and miscellaneous grumbling. After a moment, one of the crew spoke up.

Sometimes

Sometimes I forget I'm ugly
Sometimes I forget I'm fat
Sometimes I forget I have no friends
Sometimes I forget myself
.
I often forget I'm no one
I often forget my status
I often forget I'm uninteresting
I often forget myself
.
I don't know I'm stupid
I don't know I'm dumb
I don't know folks just don't care
I don't know myself
.
I ask too much of others
I ask too much of friends
I ask too much of just one poem
I ask too much of myself
:
:
:
Meat Man
Stack of Carbon
Assembled Atoms
Worthless
:
:
:
N'one will write a poem for me
Not even a single verse
I suppose it's one more proof
That I am just the worst

Unicorns

It had been a full day since the family first sought refuge in the small cabin. The hours had been spent pacing, arguing, and, for the two youngest members, huddling together under the table. They knew they couldn’t stay there, but the danger outside was too great to chance.

“Do you think it’s still out there?” asked Shawn, the oldest brother. At nineteen, he’d already taken over most duties on the family’s farm and had been looking forward to this ‘relaxing vacation’ for months.

“I don’t know - why don’t you check?” Cary spat. Sixteen had hit him particularly hard and a week with his family sounded like torture even before it had gone south. Spending the past twenty four hours within a few yards of the clan had worn through whatever mental fortitude he had left.

Avetik Isahakyan Central Library

Staring ahead, mind’s dead
Paper’s blank, motive’s sank
Can’t think, spill no ink
Soldier through, a word or two
Fill the page, fight the rage
Don’t be mad, yes it’s bad
But what was missed, now exists