Seeking the Light

I was born to a blind mother,
Who used to count the silky stars circled around my neck.
One night, she squeezed until I felt like she was pulling off my skin.
When I tried to shout, I found no voice
My body was cold and silent like a castle
I clapped my hands but she continued her work
I knocked twice on the ground
Nothing happened.
Thirty years ago, mama was a heroine of such a creepy fairy tale
As she told me once, she lost her sight while making a trade with the sun
I laughed at the beginning but later on I cried my eyes out
Day by day, my mother continued to dig until she made a big pool around my neck
I grumble every now and then but mother said this is the best way
To fish out more dreams to lighten our darkness.

Amirah Al Wassif is an award-winning published poet. Their poetry collection "For Those Who Don’t Know Chocolate" was published in February 2019 by Poetic Justice Books & arts, and their illustrated children book: The Cocoa Boy and Other Stories was published in February 2020. Another poetry collection "to bury a curious girl" was published by Bedazzled Ink Publishing Company. Their poems have appeared in several prints and online publications including South Florida Poetry, Birmingham Arts Journal, Hawaii Review, The Meniscus, Chiron Review, The Hunger, Writers Resist, Right Now, and several other publications.

Find more by Amirah Al Wassif in the Author Index.