bio

photo by rina rose

    Shahd Al-Shemmari is a 25-year-old Kuwaiti woman, currently working on her PhD at the University of Kent. She is half-Palestinan and half-Kuwaiti, holds an MA from the University of Exeter, UK, and is currently working on a PhD concerning madwomen in literature.
shahd_alshemmari@hotmail.com

Rebirth

I screamed in agony.
“Rebirth!” they reminded me,
But death now?
I was striving for immortality,
I was stronger than you deemed.
No!
They tied me down,
They poked and probed;
A violation.
My body protested.
My mind fled.
Vexed, I seized to fight.
There were no options, no ultimatums.
My lips parted,
My jaw racketed against my tongue.
Her wrinkly, old hands held my head.
Words of the Quran she read.
Serenity expected.
I gasped, afraid of the execution.
An angel smiled.

copyright 2011 Shahd Al-Shemmari

Envy

He flipped it around
Once, twice.
I lost count.
The blue beads of his misbah.
My eyes followed
The synchronized movement.
I wanted one too.


*misbah- Arabian/Middle Eastern accessory held by men, made up of beads.

copyright 2011 Shahd Al-Shemmari