Wael Abdelgawad's Blog, page 4

Following My Inner Starlight

Wael Abdelgawad | WaelAbdelgawad.com

I’m following my own inner starlight, staying on course due northeast, and not bothering to hide the lunacy. Watch over me God – as you always do for fools and madmen – set the wind at my back, and soften the hearts of those I love.

Poem: This is the Time

This is the Time

A November sunset
in the San Joaquin Valley
is yellow as a fried egg.
The sheep in the fields,
the weather-stained barns,
the tractor-high cotton bales
in their glistening wraps
are yellow enough to eat.

In a moment the light fades
to a pale amber,
as if the sun had already set
then returned with an afterthought.

I’m thinking of a woman I met.
I’m thinking of the book I’ve yet to write.
People say, “When the time is right…”
But how long until I hit
the pale yellow afterthoug...

Poem: Some Things Want to be Found

Some Things Want to Be Found

You said your greatest fear
is being forgotten –
Then you let me go
like your bicycle that was stolen last May
and you never reported it, because,
you said, “They never find them anyway.”
Maybe some things want to be found
and all you have to do is look.

All I do is sleep. I can’t work.
Didn’t I tell you that a love song
came on the radio
and in my mind I saw your face?
Maybe some things want to be found
and all you have to do is look.

* * *

Wael Abdelgawad
Octo...

Poem: Not a Redwood

Not a Redwood

I’m real as a redwood tree,
powerful and still.
Men orbit and disappear
while I wait, rich with life,
draped in mist and light,
blood as thick as sap,
speaking in the only voice I have.

You sit beneath my boughs.
You say, “I don’t even know
what happiness means anymore.”
“How” – you say – “did i get to be this age
and still alone?”

See my scars and roots
and reaching for the sun.
You are not alone.

I’m not a redwood;
that’s only how it seems.
In fact I am a man –
and when will...

Poem: The One Who Stays

The One Who Stays

I’ll take your hidden childhood
and the lines around your eyes
like little light rays
and I’ll be the one who stays.
I wonder what scares you more:
the man who keeps on loving
or the one who runs for the door?
I’m not here for a score, or a win.
I’ll take your temper
and your sculpted chin.
I’ll take your brash voice
that turns soft when you sing.
I’ll take your spicy cooking
and conspiracy theories.
I’ll take your crazy mother
who lives on oatmeal cakes and frozen food.
I’...

Poem: Almond Blossoms

Almond Blossoms

I have turned my words
into almond blossoms
and scattered them on your bed.
I’ve built my body
into a resting place for your head –
one that will hold true
when dark days come,
as they do.

***

Wael Abdelgawad
March 21, 2015
Fresno, California

The Heart Breaks but Love Survives

Wael Abdelgawad | WaelAbdelgawad.com

An ocean wave is born.  In that instant it is glorious and unafraid. Sunlight shines through it as through emerald glass, and sparkles on the foam. The water crests high, the wall of blue as solid as any mountain. It knows its purpose and does not hesitate. That is its moment of worship and praise.

A moment later it crashes thundering upon the rocks, and the resulting streams of water retreat.

So it is with love.

Another wave comes. But is it another, or...

Violence as a Means of Promoting a Worldview is a Failed Strategy

Wael Abdelgawad | WaelAbdelgawad.com

“Although you may spend your life killing, you will not exhaust all your foes.” – Nagarjuna

Violence is ultimately a failed strategy for spreading a message or promoting a worldview.

The Soviets sent millions to the gulag to suppress dissent, but communism failed anyway. Terrorists slaughter innocents and only turn the world against their causes. The Israelis have been killing the Palestinians and bulldozing their homes for sixty years, but the Palestinia...

Poem: A Mountain in My Mind

You are a mountain in my mind.
I lie on your slopes
and breathe deeply as your birds sing.

Winter falls.
Your snows chill me to the bone.
You avalanche, then withdraw

and rise, sheer and white,
looming against the sky, immovable.
You rumble

and pour down fire and ash.
The sky turns black.
You are a mountain

but I cannot spy a pass.
I try and try,
but cannot find your heart.

* * *

Wael Abdelgawad
April 15, 2012
Fresno, California

Poem: Only if You Love Me

Yes, I’m ready,
but only if you love me.
I meant everything I said.
I saw you volunteering
at the Food Not Bombs stand
and beckoning with your hand.
I wasn’t avoiding you.
I only rushed home
to get the ring
that I planned to surprise you with.
I see you’re angry
and I love that green fire
in your eyes.
I see how ready you are
to disbelieve me
and that gives me pause.
I meant everything I said.
I love your freckled beauty,
your red regality. I admire
your tiger’s muscularity,
your strength af...