Write

You seized the pencil in your aching
hand, slanting
it towards the open
notebook, drawing
a rose, a bird—
figures I’d only seen you embroider
on pillowcases.

You traced your wrinkles
into the petals
and feathers.

Blue eyes mesmerized.
A rooted bloom,
unfurling wings.

Pencil down.
You handed me the gift.

Wait,
I said.
Your name.

Ektebe,
you uttered.
Write it for me.

I wrote.

Teta, you tried to imitate,
your hold now unsteady
and broken.
You let the pencil fall

as the bird soared
and the rose blossomed
on the page.

By Zahraa Farhat

Biography:

Zahraa Farhat is a Lebanese American writer and former journalist for The Arab American News. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Michigan – Dearborn and master’s degree in creative writing from Wayne State University. As a daughter of immigrants and a Muslim in America, her writing is preoccupied with themes of family, war, country, and identity.