**Balm** Why did they say? Love won’t return Another time Like friendship Then they said It’s a memory of a wound Twisting And sees the tremor of a heart With its aspirations cautiously observed It will long for The tear of the eye for a memory Folded, wounded And constrained They lied Something like light …
Balm – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans: Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Violet Roses cascade, Bearing the weight of the alphabet, With tales echoed, Of sins yet to come, Of burdens to bear. They carry their shimmer, And this letter returns, Playing a gentle melody, Unveiling a window, To sing, At the wound’s inception, To seal the wound, A bleeding of violet hue. I was not Layla, …
Violet – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Here I Am They see me with a smiling face, and pleasant, They see my words bleeding, in pain they suffer. The ignorant ones say, “He vacillates,” The lovers say, “He is infatuated.” Some say, “He is arrogant,” While others say, “He is enigmatic, unfathomable.” Yet, none of them know That within me resides a …
Here I Am – Esa Al-Azab – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Shawi on The Internet He was met with a flurry of photographers and journalists from international media outlets, all asking him questions. What had been his most recent relationship? Was it true that Zahra was his one true love? Was it true that he had a personal designer to dress him in his stylish attire? …
Shawi on The Internet – Maha Salah . trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
An Evening of Bliss An evening of bliss, oh how I adore, Where the heartbeat of longing forever soars. For you, I lay a velvet night’s embrace, And the waterfall of stars cascades with grace. My heart unveils the depths of my love, Knocking on sorrow’s door, mindful of the rough. Yet my tongue falters, …
An Evening of Bliss – Entesar Hasan – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Fear I asked him, “How old are you?” He replied, “Seven years.” As I watched, a bare-chested child wearing shabby, torn pants passed me, carrying a heavy brick. He appeared weak and small enough to be working instead of playing with toys like our children. I followed him with my heart and observed his wide …
Fear – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Revisiting the Yemeni Revolution in Suhair Assamman’s “Behind the Walls of Memory” by Hatem Al-Shamea Introduction Suhair Assamman’s short story, “Behind the Walls of Memory,” provides a poignant reflection on the impact of the Yemeni revolution and the enduring scars it left on the lives of its participants. Through the protagonist, Khaled, who struggles with …
Behind the Walls of Memory The fifty-year-old woman enters the room, holds a glass of milk in her hand, and says: How are you this morning, my son? Still looking at the picture, as usual!… -I am trying to recall how and when this memory appeared and disappeared behind the ticking of the clock. I …
Behind the Walls of Memory – Suhair Assamman – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
The Gravedigger “It is not easy to become a gravedigger.” With these words, Abdul Mujoud concluded his long talk with his new assistant in the room overlooking the cemetery. The young man rose, expressing his frustration with the repetition of such words, and walked toward the door murmuring softly: “Always words and advice. This old …
The Gravedigger – Sameer Abdelfattah – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Psychological Analysis of Memory and Trauma in Mayasa Al-Nakhlani’s “I Named Her Fatima” by Hatem Al-Shamea Introduction The novel “I Named Her Fatima” by acclaimed Yemeni author Mayasa Al-Nakhlani delves deeply into themes of psychological trauma, repressed memory, and inner turmoil. Through the protagonist Khalid, the story explores how past traumatic events can shape one’s …
