A collection of middle eastern poems and artwork that move the soul and provoke empathy for those who have experienced great trials and tribulations.

Some of the poems cover difficult subject matter, but it was a nice accompaniment to Z's seeing the Al Mutanabbi Street Starts Here exhibit. ( )

5Q 4P (my codes)
I read the following poems:
"From This Star to the Other": A beautiful portrait of a hard-working father as well as the length of a laborer's day--the father is the center and the brightness of this poet's life.
"Dust": an achingly sad portrayal of loneliness written with words of elegance and simplicity. A child's imagination is her best companion and her protection.
"I Remember My Father's Hands": what stories can be told by the things hands do in everyday lives. ripping, raising, trimming, cupping, pleading. A lifetime expressed through manual labor.
"Growing": Peace--evoked through the symbolism of the moon, or perhaps the moon represents escape and transcendance. A poem brimming over with sensory details, of scents of jasmine and sights of bright moonlight, of the taste of freedom.
"Awakening": A poem that begins slowly, lazily, stretching and coming to life. The sentences become longer, the images more varied, the pace picks up, and soon the street is bustling busy loud. A beautiful portrait of a transition moment.
These poems are evocative and beautiful--each poet's voice shines through with longing and love and identity. What a stunning collection! ( )

Hardcover. Grade 7 and above.
Over a hundred poets and artist from nineteen Middle Eastern countries contributed to this elegant book. Poets such as Palestine’s Mahmoud Darwish and Hanan Mikha’il ‘Ashrawi, Egypt’s Naguib Mahfouz, Lebanon’s Faud Rifka, and Israel’s Yehuda Amichai and Moshe Dor are accompanied by full-color paintings that make this anthology a way to see into the range of history of the Middle East through poems that are by turns exquisite, startling, heartbreaking, humorous, and joyful. Indices of the poets, artists, and poems as well as a short biographical sketch of the poets are included at the

Poetry by Mid Eastern poets, some translated to English from the original language gives us a sense of how universal poetry con be. The art work is by known artists and the originals hang in Galleries and Museums.