Anthology Copyright © The Poetryhood, 2024 All rights reserved
Dear Reader, I want to share with you my deepeѕt feelings as the founder of The Poetryhood, an initiative that has been a true gift in my life. The power of poetry to heal, connect, and inspire has been a guiding force for me, and The Poetryhood is a teѕtament to that. Looking for purpose in my life and a mode of expression, I found inspiration and relief in reading poetry and writing in my personal journal. The process of publicizing my written pieces was daunting to me as I was ѕtruggling with selfconfidence. I wanted to find a solution to my problem, which I believed many people shared with me. So, I created The Poetryhood; a casual and accessible platform centered around respect and appreciation for poetry. I am proud to present to you this anthology of poetry, created by brave people who have dared to share the contents of their hearts through the written word. This collaborative work consiѕts of poems submitted to The Poetryhood throughout the years and brought to visual life through illuѕtrations by Jamal Saleh who I am very thankful to have joined me on this project. These poems are a celebration of the human spirit, of our collective will to live and to love. They are an expression of the deepeѕt emotions, the raweѕt thoughts, and the wildeѕt dreams that make us who we are. As you read through these pages, I hope you feel a sense of wonder and awe, juѕt as I did. To me, poetry has always been an artform which reminds me of our collective ability to connect and create beautiful things. Thank you for taking the time to read this book and for being a part of The Poetryhood community. I am forever grateful to every person who has contributed to this project, and to every reader who opens their heart to the beautiful art of poetry. With love and gratitude, Jamil Adas Founder of The Poetryhood
Contributing Poets To each poet that shared the contents of their hearts To Jamal, for blowing color into every page To Dina, for blending the poems and designing our book To Elias, Lana, Farah, Namal and Malda, for being pillars of unwavering support for The Poetryhood THANK YOU This book wouldn’t exist without you. |6| Abdullah Yassin Alaa Al Maliki Alaa Samir Ghannam Ayham Kazoun Chloe Elliott Christopher Li Danabelle Gutierrez Dania Al Husseini Emma Robertson Farah Chamma Fatima Elreda Faye Cuevas Hakim El Haj Hanna Abi Akl Hiba Memon Irshad Azeez Jamil Adas Kasia Truscott Kavyaa Suryaa Kristina Kiseleva Laith Bilal Letitia Jiju Leyann Smili Lina Al-Sharif Malak El Halabi Malda Smadi Maria Etre Mashaal Effendi Maya Kaabour Moemen Helmy Namal Siddiqui Neeraja Kumar Niku Sharei Nour Abughaida Omar Kayal Osama Al Hussaini Philippe Jardak Pia “Liethers” Fajelagutan Rasha Darra Rianne Salenga Robby Berry Salma HQ Sara Houmani Trayle Kulshan Tristan Fitzgerald Veronica Byrne |7|
Chapter One: Nature 12 Chapter Two: Memories, Home & Family 23 Chapter Three: Love & Beauty 49 Chapter Four: Body & Being 89 Chapter Five: Creation, Despair & Death Chapter Six: Dreams, Space & Time 143 Poetry Guide |8| 115 175 |9|
"face down in a patch of earth"
By Chloe Elliott surely but slowly maybe I too will come to heal. Lay me out on a float, let the parade come like the bees do. Like water ѕtubbling in a brook. Let them swarm spawn like daffodils, make a run of yellow breadcrumbs. facedown in a patch of earth I am spoon-fed the words. the hungry neck suckles warm honey from the mouth. pronounce shapeless and deem the word rude. the sunset will not wait for you, neither will planes. Dry your grief like so: apply a thin layer to your shoulders as if sunscreen and bathe. |12| |13|
By Dania Al Husseini A cluѕter of orchids perched on a lone branch reach out to a different world... you leave your paѕt behind. To taѕte you, to scoop you up her own paper cup lavender ice-cream, gooey swirls melt off your sides. Drip. Drip. Fragrant droplets of romance miss her mouth. To hang around her lips is what you want. Petals unfold, slow, soft. A feather’s caressunable to catch you no matter how much she tries. The supple, new touch of you: Petals of suede microscopic veins your edges lines silver, unfrayed. Amidѕt hues of purple, in a deep lull she comes undone. |14| Clasped in her hand, the flower bouquet chants. |15|
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