Zemiru by K. Eltinaé
All the gardens I remember exist now in worn-out stories
Zemiru
by K. Eltinaé1
Distance yourself from evil and sing to it. – Arabic proverb The problem with language begins with love we bury in children forever. First I put a compass between your lips and my footsteps, so everyone you lied to, could see which one of us got lost. All the gardens I remember exist now in worn-out stories so rooted is their sadness I dent sofas when I recall how hard I threw your envy into the ocean. How long I waited for the waves that stopped how far my heart floated pale and dizzy carried away by birds. Your face that broken plate I keep to remember how to sing.
1
Originally published in World Literature Today on August 10, 2018.
So many layers in this big little poem about a broken relationship. That second stanza is one of the bravest things I've read in a while. The speaker has risen above self pity, yet still makes us feel the toxicity of this relationship. This poem reminds me of the complexities in everything ugly, beautiful. Perfect response to the proverb. I could go on and on about this poem