Blogs

  • wavy windy quest

    seasand-01

    it’s not red, but this is the red sea on the shore of jeddah, saudi arabia. photography by ssj

    is the wave
    that creates the wave
    that creates the wave
    that creates the wave
    that reaches my feet
    the same wave
    that reaches my feet?

    (more…)

  • the cave

    thecave02

    the cave

    darkness yawns to claim
    and hold the heart of nations
    deep in suspension.

    the cave masters

    great depths of darkness
    can never measure up to
    grand spirit of man.

    © said sadain, jr.  2018

    (more…)

  • revolution

    revolution

    has it come to this? a world
    that wobbles on its heels
    and stands still to try
    a futile balancing act.

    (more…)

  • Abdul, on the eve of an ambush

    ambush

    image is a mashup from photos contributed by shrutikhanna and PublicDomainArchive @ pixabay.com

    Abdul, on the eve of an ambush

    a rifle rests in my arms for now
    steel chilling the bones which ache
    for the children and the wife in my mind
    and the maddening smell of morning rice
    as in a dream along my nape
    covered with hungry hair.

    (more…)

  • The Umbrellas of Madinah

    For this post, allow me to share with my blogging community glimpses of an unlikely world that you, dear reader, may not normally find yourself in: the Masjid an-Nabawi (or Prophet’s Mosque) of Madinah al-Munawwarah (the Enlightened City) in Saudi Arabia.

    the_prophets_mosque_at_madina

    the Masjid an-Nabawi surrounded by its wide piazza, its giant umbrellas still folded in the early morning. photography by ssj

    (more…)

  • a tense life

    line01

     a Cordyline species red-fruited palm lily. photography by ssj, 2013

    a tense life
    against a calm sky,
    a clear day,
    but only for a while.

    © said sadain, jr. 2013

    (more…)

  • Peculiar Speed of the 5-7-5s

    In a parallel universe, I would have been a prolific writer, churning out, day and night, streams of  prose and poetry, and kilometric reams of novels and essays, you would wonder if I ever stop for anything, if I ever sleep a blink (assuming you would also be in that parallel universe). But no, I am in this universe, where I stop for red lights and sleep like a log, and blog in a most laconic way. And you, probably amused by now about what, if ever, may have happened to that book project I wrote about here a few times last year.

    (more…)

  • this is water

     

     

    gondolier-2018052_1920

    image by Comfreak at pixabay.com

    this is water

    this is water we must learn to love
    while it embraces us beneath our skins
    and with our best to keep it pure
    lest we forget to swim and drown in sins.

    (more…)

  • The Tempest

    landscape-3134565_1920

    image by photo-graphe at pixabay.com

    The Tempest

    It looms on the horizon riding the back of waves
    raising sails in ashen canvas that can only burst
    to spread fury and fire rains and dancing dervishes.
    It draws in breath to still the air
    so that palm fronds will cock their ears
    and sand crabs will freeze their eyes
    while rocks and roots will beat like bulls
    a rhythm for an ancient ritual dance.

    (more…)

  • a sun song

    3p

    sunrise from beneath the wings, photography by ssj

    a sun song

    sun lifts from beneath
    steel wings of anxiety,
    pensile promises.

    (more…)

  • The Hard Lane

    swimmer-1678307_1920

    image by Comfreak at pixabay.com

    the hard lane

    there are fast lanes that do not wait,
    we either get crushed,
    or get there sooner,
    or we can stand by to see the rush,
    and think of falling,
    and rising water.

    (more…)