If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English

by Noor Naga

I try to explain that America is not heaven, that there are problems everywhere. Trump, I say,

QUESTION: If a man’s anger is lovelier than his loveliness, what kind of ending do you expect?

twenty years later, I realize I have never been loved by a man the way my father once loved me.

QUESTION: If a city is actively trying to kill you, should you take it personally?

What if female arousal is just the belief that you will not die at this man’s hands?

QUESTION: Is it arrogant to grieve the loss of what you never had?

Let me ask you: Is it possible to contemplate a thing—any thing at all—without sadness?

No one ever talks about the punishing aesthetics of being poor.

Only now, looking back, do I realize how terrible it is to subsist on just enough, without the joy of beautiful things.

good things can come from our grimmest hours. That if we face our traumas and trust in the healing power of narrative, we can produce work that is valuable—even marketable.