Who
Is
He
That the sky
That the blue
Who is he that rainstorms out of firmament
Who is he steering hearts into disaster
Who
Is
Who
Is
The street tearing apart memory
The old people stomping the ground and pounding their chests
The sentiment that the soldier kiss the ears
Who
Is
He
Who
Is
He
Mountain shake
Warring earth
Sophists praise
A half-dead garden
Dimensions of the body grow
Out of marble
The man the woman
The force the feet push
The heat in which the steel forge
Give motion to two intimates
Who is he.
Who is he.
Who is he.
Who is he.
My mother gave me arms to fight.
She strapped me to a chair and silenced me.
Beauty and weakness
In a cold air turn
The immensity of a body leave
Who is he.
Who is he.
Brick and mortar red and black.
The crux of the problem the edge of the blade.
In my bed
Every flood remembering stop
The chord struck by snapping wrists on the keyboard
Dying for your misunderstanding
You are not the blood and bones
You are not the flesh and water
Shift in the seat and groan, groan
And will never know.
Who is he.
Crowds gather to watch a star fall
And disperse
When the dark
Becomes
Light.
Philadelphia, 2019
Bessam Idani is an artist and political organizer from New York. He is the author of two novels, Self and Under the Sun, and the composer or co-composer of three albums, "Nondivision," "Heart, Mind," and "Again-Awakening-Am." His upcoming novel, The Sword and the Neck, is set for release in 2022. His journalistic and analytical works have appeared in whyy.org, The Philadelphia Public School Notebook, Arab America, OMAAT Magazine, and other publications. His work as a visual artist is also featured on ninshar.art. He lives and works in Philadelphia.