Neo-Beirut, Closed City
By J.D. Harlock
Identifies with the nations of Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine
creeping silence, fleeting light—attuning the sky to
the dead channel, where
savages scour streets looking to loot
the spoils of Berytus
once men—even friends, brothers…
Now they feast on us, subsisting on
the ichor of the old world before
devouring each other
Fire one shot into the air
Proclaim our presence
That is all that is needed
turning to face you—empty eyes trace up
what was once a shrine in holy land to
see and behold
a Guardian of the Cedar
at that moment, it is known
New Phoenicia has been tainted.
Stay—their heads will decorate the pikes of a rising power
Run—in time, the entire resistance will meet the same fate
All these creatures can do now is
slither away
through a world of darkness...
J.D. Harlock is a Levantine Arab (Lebanese/Syrian/Palestinian) writer and editor from and based in Beirut. In addition to their work at Solarpunk Magazine, as a poetry editor, and at Android Press, as an editor, J.D. Harlock’s writing has been featured in Strange Horizons, New York University's Library of Arabic Literature, and the British Council’s Voices Magazine. You can find them on LinkedIn, Twitter, Threads, & Instagram.