questions arabic asked in english (colonial fit)
how the blood it fit into the body? how the body it fit
into the family, and how the grandmother she fit
into the blood? how grandmother of me she fit into
tongue of her? how gender of her it fit into
mouth of her, and how mouth of her it fit
into the language? can woman she fit gender of her
into end-letters of the words the arabic?
yes. God has willed it so.
oh God, where gender of me? no can i i find it
in letters of the alphabet, not the arabic,
not the english. no can i i read it when i read
verses the qur’an and no when i read newspaper
the motherland it drowning in blood the queer.
read i article concerning parade pride of the queer
in lebanon, and when no i i found blood at all
on the pages, they returned the tears
to heart of me, and they put down salt
of sorrow of them, and reemerged them
clear from eyes of me, and celebrated them
because were we expecting the death and no we found it.
gender of me it fit into the language the english?
why no can i i read it? why no can i i find it? i ask questions
which i am knowing answers of them already.
gender of me no it fit, no it translate good
between the english and the arabic
because the gender it live in body of me,
and no can the body follow when switch the tongue
into code new. i am knowing this. but the violence it fit
in very good behind teeth of me, all the time it waiting
hidden in mouth of me, in language of me
the arabic, it spoken as speak the children
no fluent.
grandmother of me no heard me
in speaking language can she understand
never. there is blood on tongue of me.
no heard i grandmother of me
in saying word queer, never.
there is blood on tongue of her also.
tongue of her it fit
into mouth of me?
and is this queer?
Copyright Credit: Noor ('Ditee) Jaber, “questions arabic asked in english” from The Rumpus. Copyright © 2019 by Noor Ibn Najam. Reprinted by permission of Noor Ibn Najam.
Source: The Rumpus (The Rumpus, 2019)