Grief
by Hope Kamal
Identifies with the nation of Egypt
I had this friend
his name was Yehia
with an “e”
And his necktie acted
as a valve
That kept all the sadness bottled in
His mother is saying grace
over black tea she harvested
her daughter is reading
A Russian novel
She had been banned
From saying the name of
“Allah” for letting Salih’s
Son touch her when she was in
10th grade
Of things found
where they are not supposed
to be
He is on a floor
Unrecognized by the cow, or
The trees but only of
the word
Hope Kamal is a senior double majoring in creative writing and Neuroscience at Goucher College from Cairo, Egypt. Growing up in the time of the revolution and revolutionaries has shaped the person that she is today, and she hopes to emulate that through her poems.