Poem: I hear you’ve been looking for me

Poetry by Wael AbdelgawadI hear you’ve been looking for me.
I’m still here, living free,
eating ash and sand,
rubbing it into my wounds,
teaching people to fight,
or to think – and aren’t those
the same thing?

I hear you’ve been asking about me.
I was away,
walking a jungle path,
staying quiet so as not to disturb
the rightful owners of the land.
I have nothing in my hand,
nothing up my sleeve
but fire and bile,
song and spit
and a readiness to die.

I hear you don’t love me anymore.
I smile at that, I lick my teeth and grin.
I’m made of love from lip to shin,
so much it’s standing room only,
with more in the trees and underground.
I was never lost
so can’t be found.
I’ve been in the moment,
looking deeper than I was told,
not growing old,
breaking rules that were and were not
meant to be broken.

***

Wael Abdelgawad
July 2, 2016
Fresno, California

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