anisah

Perspective

Current Affairs

It’s all a matter of perspective.
We cry about failed relationships and write poetry about bloodstains on our bathroom floors.
But what the blood splatter from that young child in Gaza, who was gunned down in a playground for being Palestinian? ‘Collateral damage’, they murmur with shifting gazes.
And let’s not forget the innocent men and women slaughtered by police for the colour of their skin.
Or the journalists who were decapitated for simply doing their job in informing and protecting the world, once camera reel at a time.
Have some perspective.
Let’s forgive those who’ve wronged us, and fight the institutions that oppress and condemn us, instead of each other.

For Mustafa

Original Poetry

I’ll sit in the graveyard,
And plant flowers by your stone.
The tears won’t stop, no matter how strong I thought I could be.
I loved you like you were blood, I didn’t know any different until I was older
And even then,
I didn’t feel any different.
You were made of the same blood
As us
And I felt something in me
When you died that day.
I felt my heart crash against a lamp-post
And not even the airbags could save me.
I cried for days, weeks, months.
It’s been a year or so since you died
And I’m counting down the days
Until your next anniversary,
So we can all sit and remember how
Incredible you were.
A man of so many achievements
And accomplishments;
A best friend, loving and loyal.
A father, protective and affectionate.
An uncle, doting and wonderful in every way.
I pray that God will protect you,
His brave angel now.
Your strength and power,
Determination and fighter’s spirit
Will live on in our hearts
Until we meet again.
May God rest your soul

The Angel With Horns

Original Poetry

His angel hid her horns so well,
dressed in white with beautiful dark skin
and an infectious voice.
She was a siren, luring him to his death
with the promise of ever lasting adoration
radiating from the essence of her being.
He wanted more of her,
and just when he got on his knees and begged for her,
she took off her veil and revealed her horns
embracing him wholeheartedly.

“Wide Sargasso Sea”, by Jean Rhys

Book Reviews

I’ve just finished reading “Wide Sargasso Sea” and I have to say it is now one of my favourite novels. After studying Jane Eyre for two years, I’ve always felt there were so many uncertainties in the book, mostly revolving around Bertha Mason. Rhys has exceptionally filled in those gaps, and given a true voice to such a marginalized character. Not only is Antoinette, or Bertha, dehumanized by Bronte, she was labelled as mad before the reader was even given a chance to form their own opinion. I’m so glad I read this book, it was mind-blowingly thought-provoking and really made me empathise and appreciate everything Bertha Mason stood for. Although, it’s incredibly insulting to still call her Bertha Mason. Ultimately, I felt a sense of relief when she came to a sudden realisation at the end of Part Three. She found freedom in the saddest of ways, but she found freedom nonetheless. Rhys also addresses the underlying issues of colonialism exquisitely; not only is she very accurate, but she paints a perfectly understandable picture of what it was like for the colonized and the colonizer.