All Hail [The Third] and Other Poems

 
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Cynthia Abdallah

Art by Emma Webster

 
 

All hail (The third)

Of Tokarevs,
Margolins
Margorovs

Of PBs
Stechkins
Berettas

Of Mossbergs
Saigas
Savages

Of Kalashnikovs
Forts
Remingtons

Of Zbroyar Zs
SV-98s
Cadexes

Of bombs,
Missiles
Grenades

Loss

 
 

Caracas

Of green hills, tall palms, and rustic buildings
Of empanadas, cervezas, and salsa
Of beauties in bikinis, loud chatter, beaches
And nugatory bolivars

 

vacío

I went where birds do not sing
And the sun does not shine
Gobbledygook!
There is nothing sweet
In a world where love does not jive

 
 

IAN

Clouds move west
Enveloping the skirts of the Avila
And the streets of Caracas
in a broad white sheet

Tall rustic buildings
Disappear under fervent mist
Thunder cracks
Rain falls
Mud slides

Elsewhere
Alligators swim into flooded homes
Occupying spaces
Once safe havens

 


Cynthia Abdallah

Cynthia Abdallah is a Kenyan author, poet, and filmmaker. Her work has appeared in numerous online magazines and in print. Poems appear in the Tokyo Poetry Journal (Japan), Kwani Uchaguzi, Edition 8 (Kenya), Ake Review, Quailbell Magazine (US), and the Bodies and Scars anthology by Ghana Literary Journal. Short stories appear in Kalahari Review (Kenya), Nalubaale Review (Uganda), Active Muse (India), IHRAF, and Women Narratives on Power (US).



Emma Webster

Emma Webster (USA/UK, b. 1989) is a Californian painter who lives and works in Los Angeles. She has an MFA in Painting from Yale School of Art (2018) and a BA in Art Practice from Stanford University (2011). Her work is in the collections of the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, Perez Museum (Miami), Columbus Museum of Art, Yuz Museum (Shanghai), Xiao Museum (Suzhou), X Museum (Beijing), Groeninge Museum (Bruges), and Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Webster's recent solo exhibition “Illumiarium,” which opened during Frieze Seoul 2022, was covered by The New York Times, ARTNews, W Magazine, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar. Webster was recently featured on Cultured Magazine’s prestigious 2023 Young Artist List.



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