��� �������ت �� ����ه٬، �� ������ت

ـ����ـ� ـ���ــ ـ�����ـ��ـ ـ �اـ���لـ ـ����� ـ �إ�ـ��ـ ـ�ط��ـ�� ـ�ط��ـ��ـ �اـ ـ�����س ـ �و�اـ ـ�����د�ة ـ �و�اـ ــ����� ـ �و�ـ ـ����. �اــ ـ��� �ـ ـ������ ـ ـ ـ �إـ ــ����ـ�� ��ر�ةــ����ــ��� ـ ـ�����ءـ��ـ��.ـ��ـ ـ����ـ���لــ ـ �إـ �دـ�� �اــ���٬،ـ���ـ�� ــ���� ــ������ـ �دـ �و�اــ���� ـ���٬ً، ــ�������ـ��ـ ـ���ـ��ـ �وـ �اـ��ـ��ً �و�إــ��� ـ����ا�ف. �اـ��ـ ـ��� ��ـ��ـ�أــ���أ ـ��� �د�اـ ـ��� �إـ ـ���ـ��ً �اـ ـ������ي ــ ـــ������ـ �أ���ـھ�ـ��ـ ـ���. ـ����ـ ـ���ـ���تـ��ـ��ــ �أـــــ�������ـ �أـ�� �و�أـ�ّ� ـ����ّ�.. ـ �و�أ�دـ ـ�����ـ��٬، ــ �اـ ــ����� �ـ

�و�ا��� �و�ا���ء٬، �و���ذ�ا �����ن �ا���� �ا�����٬، ���ى ����و�� ����ء � �����ً ������ً؟

Every poetic word finally transforms into a ceremony of reverence, revelation, and theophany. Words thatfail to ravish us into Nirvana are transformed into a car's loose wheel. All things are transmuted throughpoetry into a worship of the divine, and even sex becomes a religion, the bed becomes the altar and con-fessional. Strange indeed how I always view my sex poems through ecclesiastical eyes. Each time I travelin my lover's body, I am healed...am purified, I enter the Realm of Goodness, Truth and Light. What afterall is mystical poetry if not an attempt to give God sexual relevance?

ـ�����ـ���رـ��ـ��ـ��ـ���ـ��ـ��ا ـ �اـ ــ���� �دـ�����ـھ�ــ���ـ ـ����ـ�� �وـ ـ���ـ��ـ��ـ���ـ��٬، ـ����كــ����٬،ـ��ــ����مـ �ا�ـ ـ��� �اـ ـ����ن �اـ��ـ��ـ��ـ ــ�����ر �ـ�و������ �����ت ����ت �ا��������ي �� �ا����ء .

I have no hope for any revolutionary movement that relegates sex to the margins of its call to action, nohope for any progressive government that leaves the Arab body expending its vigor in inhibition, copulat-ing in secret with the covers of Playboy magazines.

ـ���ا �ا�ن���ـھ��ر�ةـ ــ����� ـ���ـ �ا�ــ�����اـ ـ��� �اـ ـ����ن ـ���ـ��ـ ـ�����ـ �وــ ــ�����٬، ـ�����ـ��ـ ـ �ا�ـ��ـ��ـ���ـ �إ�ن ـ����. ـ �اـ ـ��� �إ�زـ��ـ��ـ �ـ�� �اـ��ـ��ـ���ـ��٬، ـ���� ـ �ــ����و�ا� ـ ـ�����ل.ـ �اـ ــ����ـ��ــ����ــ��� ـ���ـ��ـ��ـ �اـ ـ��� ـ����ـ��ـ ـ������ــ ـ ـ �و�اـ ــ�����. ـ �اـ���بـ �اــ������رــ��� ـ��� �أ�نـ ــ�������ب ـ �ــ����اً..�ـ��ـ��ـ��ـ���اـ

�و�ر�ق �����٬، ��ن �ا����م �ا������ �ا���� �����ً �� �د����� �و�ر���ز�ه.

Revolution means altering the geography of the Arab in every way, reauthoring it. The Arab mind is incrisis, for it is inhibited from action and reaction. It has begun resembling a tablet engraved in hard Kuficletters, exhausting itself. It is encumbent upon Arab revolutionaries to write a new idiom on new paper,for the old idiom has torn itself asunder from its own symbols and significance

ـ����ـ���اً-ــ����ـ��ــ��� �اــ ــ������ ـ �و�اـ ـ��� �أ�نـ �اـ��ـ���س- �و��د�ـ��ـ��ــ����أ�ةـ�� ـ���� �أ�وـ �ز�ـ��ـ��... ـ����ـ�� ـ����..ـ �اـ��ـ��ــ �ر�ؤ�س ـ�����ج ـ���ءــ �ـ�أـ��ـ� ـ����ج �اـ ـ���ـ���دــ����ر �وـــ���ھ����ـ ـ���.. ـ����ـ ـ �اـ ـ�����د ـ �ر�و�اــ���ــ����ـ ـ����ــ���...ـــ����� �و�ـ��ـ ـ����ر٬، ـ����ـ �و�ـ��ـ ـ����ر٬، ــ����ـ �اـ ـ�����ل ـ �ــ����ــ���ا ـ�������..ــ���ـ ـ ــ �وـ ـ�����ـ��٬، �وــ ـ����٬، ـ ـ����ـ��ـ��ـ �اــ����ا�رـ��ـ ــ������ ـ �ا�ـ���ذـ���ةـ ـ�����ل �ــ����ــ �إ�ر�ـ���رـ��ـ���ـ��ـ��... �وــ������ـھ� ـ���. �اـ ـ��� �أ�ن�ـ��ـ ��رــ����

�ا������ح ��� �ذ�ا����٬، �و�ا���� ��� �����ه.. �ا������ �ا�ن ����� �ا����� �����٬، �و�أ�ن ���� �ا����ح ��� ��� �ا�����...

It is nothing new, in the dialectics of knifeblade and axe, for a woman to be immolated on her birth bed,or her bridal bed. We make women's heads roll, the way we roll dice in our coffee shops, the way we huntbirds for sport in our hills. Before Shahrayar as after Shahrayar, we continue to assassinate those femalebirds, pluck them clean, eat them and wipe their blood off our mustaches that wag like monkeys'tails…nothing new in the history of our rule by terror. Rather, what is new is the rebellion of the immolat-ed against the immolator, of the grave against the gravedigger. What is new is the dead refusing to die, thewound biting the knifeblade back.