O Beirut & Vanessa

O Beirut, Aug 2020

for her hips sway 

and fingers say

what lips may

from ‘75 

to twenty-O-six,

for whom explosions

have shattered

the most stubborn

slivers of hope

for her hips sway 

and fingers say

what lips may

fast forward 

to 2020 – 

now she crawls

in the shards

soaked

in her own piss

and blood

Vanessa, Sep 2024

Like Vanessa Cardui—

the painted lady—

butterfly with the black, 

white and russet wings,

who migrates from Africa 

via Lebanon to Europe,

I too have journeyed from Africa 

         through Lebanon 

                                  and on; 

I too have been nourished 

        by her staves and 

                                 stamens.

my hips sway

and fingers say 

what lips may.

Today, Vanessa

is crawling

over the shards 

of her own wings,

soaked in piss and blood.

How can my hips sway

and fingers say 

what lips may?