#abdelhalim

I.

fact: the arabic word هواء /hawa/ means wind

the arabic word هوى /hawa/ means love

test: [multiple choice]

abdelhalim said             you left me holding wind in my hands

or

abdelhalim said            you left me holding love in my hands

abdelhalim was left                  empty

or

abdelhalim was left                  full

fairouz said                   o wind, take me to my country

or

fairouz said                   o love, take me to my country

fairouz is looking for               vehicle

or

fairouz is looking for               fuel

oum kalthoum said            where the wind stops her ships, we stop ours                    

or

oum kalthoum said            where love stops her ships, we stop ours

oum kalthoum is                      stuck

or

oum kalthoum is                      home

— "Vocabulary" by Safia Elhillo

II.

Listen:

My father speaks Urdu,

language of dancing peacocks,

rosewater fountains -

even its curses are beautiful.

He speaks Hindi,

suave and melodic,

earthy Punjabi,

salty-rich as saag paneer,

coastal Swahili laced with Arabic.

He speaks Gujarati,

solid ancestral pride.

Five languages,

five different worlds.

Yet English

shrinks

him

down

before white men

مزاجيات