What do you think?
Rate this book
Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly.
A collection of short poems relying on strong imagery to portray some of life’ heartbreaking
moments such as love, death, sadness, happiness,
autism, cancer .. etc.
A journey to look through the emotion-gull’s eyes, to feel the change in your spirit before you
can rise up and fl y.
moments such as love, death, sadness, happiness,
autism, cancer .. etc.
A journey to look through the emotion-gull’s eyes, to feel the change in your spirit before you
can rise up and fl y.
100 pages, Hardcover
First published March 19, 2014
About the author
Raed Anis Al-Jishi
6 books8 followersRaed Anis Al-Jishi a feminist and a human rights poet was born and
still live in Qateef, Saudi Arabia, a city that breathes poetry, where
he regularly attend poetry readings as a member in “Tmaem adbia “
a chemistry teacher. he have had one novel , eight books of Arabic
poems published and one in finch
( Genèse de la mémoire passionnée ) about the Arab spring.
and (Bleeding Gull look, feel, fly) in English
still live in Qateef, Saudi Arabia, a city that breathes poetry, where
he regularly attend poetry readings as a member in “Tmaem adbia “
a chemistry teacher. he have had one novel , eight books of Arabic
poems published and one in finch
( Genèse de la mémoire passionnée ) about the Arab spring.
and (Bleeding Gull look, feel, fly) in English
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 6, 2015
Raed Anis Al-Jishi tackles emotionally charged themes in Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly. With spare words and strong visual imagery, the author bypasses my cognition and tugs at my emotion from a visceral level. The almost spartan use of words delivers images with great clarity, and lets readers like me breathe between psychic punches to the gut.
Raed Anis Al-Jishi hails from Qateef, Saudi Arabia, a city renown for its legacy of poets and poetry. That heritage is evident in the carefully chosen words, the minimalist format, and the skill in imagery. He creates impact for readers like myself by distilling and purifying emotions, but delivers it with enough room to keep me lucid and pondering each piece. There are eighty-eight pieces in this collection that explore the human condition, and every poem has something enthralling to hold reader attention.
The emotions brought up however aren't always gut-wrenching: one of my favorites actually takes the lighter side of things while keeping the poem compelling:
In as much as all the poems grab me by the lapels, the author is very gentle with his readers' attention. The sparse wording gives me time to digest what I witness, and allows me to deepen my understanding after the stark image I receive from the piece. I am left with a profound peek at something that is universally human, whether I am shown something of great violence or deep love. When I am told, "Chaos lives inside us/ We are practicing our sins/ To regain the feeling/ Of being human" I need a minute to digest something that interesting. The author's preference for brevity gives me just that!
For all its delicacy and intricacy in presentation, the poems in Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly. does not lack strength in conveying its message. I would recommend it to all readers who need to cleanse their literary palate with a quiet, wise poetic voice.
Raed Anis Al-Jishi hails from Qateef, Saudi Arabia, a city renown for its legacy of poets and poetry. That heritage is evident in the carefully chosen words, the minimalist format, and the skill in imagery. He creates impact for readers like myself by distilling and purifying emotions, but delivers it with enough room to keep me lucid and pondering each piece. There are eighty-eight pieces in this collection that explore the human condition, and every poem has something enthralling to hold reader attention.
The emotions brought up however aren't always gut-wrenching: one of my favorites actually takes the lighter side of things while keeping the poem compelling:
Are you suffering from
The anxiety of poetry
And the reading pain?
Take my letters.
Share the bread of ink,
Sea, and the salt of sailor's chants
With me.
Some grief can't end
Till it hurts you more
Than you bear to speak.
In as much as all the poems grab me by the lapels, the author is very gentle with his readers' attention. The sparse wording gives me time to digest what I witness, and allows me to deepen my understanding after the stark image I receive from the piece. I am left with a profound peek at something that is universally human, whether I am shown something of great violence or deep love. When I am told, "Chaos lives inside us/ We are practicing our sins/ To regain the feeling/ Of being human" I need a minute to digest something that interesting. The author's preference for brevity gives me just that!
For all its delicacy and intricacy in presentation, the poems in Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly. does not lack strength in conveying its message. I would recommend it to all readers who need to cleanse their literary palate with a quiet, wise poetic voice.
May 25, 2020
"Look, Feel, Fly" is the subtitle of "Bleeding Gull", the collection of poems by young poet Raed Anis Al-Jishi who - from Saudi Arabia – writes words that arouse strong emotions.
Touching universal themes such as life and death, happiness and grief, love and separation Raed guides the reader through an introspective journey that really leads him/her to observe first, then to feel with the poet's soul and finally to fly to distant destinations. The poems are short, all contained within the page, and - as such - they transmit enlightening messages.
The cyclical return of pain emerges in the poem The Pendulum:
I am a pendulum
The flames burn my body
In the midday.
Then the ice revives me
In the night
To be suitable
For the morning death.
The beauty of Nature shines through in the verses that open Tunisia:
A flower
Carried carefully by the wind,
The verses of the petals are
Hymns of the morning.
The time dreams about
The flowing of dew’s intonation ...
And it is a hymn to love the concluding poem Letters of Desire:
I'm in a nebula of light.
I see nothing
But you …
Thanks to the accurate translation by poetess Claudia Piccinno, Italian readers now have the chance to meet Raed Anis Al-Jishi, already widely known in Saudi Arabia for one novel and nine poetry collections, and who is becoming increasingly popular at international level.
So let's accept the author's invitation and follow him on the path of poetry, and surely he will surprise us:
Take my letters.
Share the bread of ink
Sea and the salt of the sailors' chants
With me
Lidia Chiarelli, President of the Art-Literary Movement IMMAGINE & POESIA
Touching universal themes such as life and death, happiness and grief, love and separation Raed guides the reader through an introspective journey that really leads him/her to observe first, then to feel with the poet's soul and finally to fly to distant destinations. The poems are short, all contained within the page, and - as such - they transmit enlightening messages.
The cyclical return of pain emerges in the poem The Pendulum:
I am a pendulum
The flames burn my body
In the midday.
Then the ice revives me
In the night
To be suitable
For the morning death.
The beauty of Nature shines through in the verses that open Tunisia:
A flower
Carried carefully by the wind,
The verses of the petals are
Hymns of the morning.
The time dreams about
The flowing of dew’s intonation ...
And it is a hymn to love the concluding poem Letters of Desire:
I'm in a nebula of light.
I see nothing
But you …
Thanks to the accurate translation by poetess Claudia Piccinno, Italian readers now have the chance to meet Raed Anis Al-Jishi, already widely known in Saudi Arabia for one novel and nine poetry collections, and who is becoming increasingly popular at international level.
So let's accept the author's invitation and follow him on the path of poetry, and surely he will surprise us:
Take my letters.
Share the bread of ink
Sea and the salt of the sailors' chants
With me
Lidia Chiarelli, President of the Art-Literary Movement IMMAGINE & POESIA
April 21, 2014
Inspiring and thought-provoking, Al-Jashi's lyrical compositions inside the "Bleeding Gull" will sweep readers off their feet and carry them into the hammock full of new discoveries
June 21, 2014
Reviewed by Teodora Totorean for Readers' Favorite
Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly by Raed Anis Al-Jishi is a collection of poems exploring universal themes such as life, death and love as well as more contemporary ones like cancer and autism. The poems are short, fitting on one page, but the imagery and the messages are strong and thought provoking, leaving the reader in a meditative state. Verses like “My habit is being free/ And it could torture me” (A Habit), “Why can’t I/ Have a simple answer/ For a simple question?” (Blindness) or “Faces are deceiving/ Without their masks” (Masks) are philosophical observations expressed in simple but powerful words. The voice is sometimes feminine (when talking about breast cancer or waxing) offering readers many facets that one can identify with. In other words, there is a poem for everyone.
I read each poem at least twice before getting to the next one and so on. These are the kind of poems that need to be taken in, assimilated and consumed slowly. The collection is unitary regarding the style and voice. Each poem is carefully polished so they all belong together in this volume. The poems are sensitive and feminine so I wasn’t surprised when I learned that Raed Anis Al-Jishi a feminist and a human rights poet. Written in free verse, the collection Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly has a poetic rhythm that incites you to look within yourself, feel love, sadness and happiness, and fly into the abyss of your own universe.
Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly by Raed Anis Al-Jishi is a collection of poems exploring universal themes such as life, death and love as well as more contemporary ones like cancer and autism. The poems are short, fitting on one page, but the imagery and the messages are strong and thought provoking, leaving the reader in a meditative state. Verses like “My habit is being free/ And it could torture me” (A Habit), “Why can’t I/ Have a simple answer/ For a simple question?” (Blindness) or “Faces are deceiving/ Without their masks” (Masks) are philosophical observations expressed in simple but powerful words. The voice is sometimes feminine (when talking about breast cancer or waxing) offering readers many facets that one can identify with. In other words, there is a poem for everyone.
I read each poem at least twice before getting to the next one and so on. These are the kind of poems that need to be taken in, assimilated and consumed slowly. The collection is unitary regarding the style and voice. Each poem is carefully polished so they all belong together in this volume. The poems are sensitive and feminine so I wasn’t surprised when I learned that Raed Anis Al-Jishi a feminist and a human rights poet. Written in free verse, the collection Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly has a poetic rhythm that incites you to look within yourself, feel love, sadness and happiness, and fly into the abyss of your own universe.
July 14, 2014
I'm moved by Raed's poetry. It's beautifully and tightly wrought. The poems are short but impactful. I was especially taken by his verse related to the sea and to nature more generally. Clearly, Raed has great insights into human nature and the natural world. His is a voice that I'm sure we'll be hearing much more from in the future. I think there is great potential here, and I applaud the effort with enthusiasm.
May 14, 2014
This is the first poetry book I've read and I liked it very much. It is a wide array of thoughts and images on many different topics and all of them so true and evoking. Thank you my friend Raed for your work. God bless you!!!
April 9, 2015
Beautifully written poetry. Loved the different feel and emotion if each poem. Really makes you ponder.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews