With his skill as a psychiatrist, Dr. Hussam Jefee-Bahloul is reaching out to the troubled people of his Syrian homeland, offering guidance for health workers who work with mental health issues in a population traumatized by war.
And with his love of words, he tries to capture his longing for his homeland in poetry.
Born in Lattakia, Syria, in 1983 and now a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, he has published two books of poems in Arabic: The Opener of Canned Hope and Bird Smoking Marijuana. He has also founded Ta-Sheeq, a project that poetry with art and music in choreographed performances.
The poem "Cloud-Cafe" appears in his collection Bird Smoking Marijuana. It was translated into English by Samantha Kostmayer and Hussam Jefee-Bahloul and is reprinted with his permission.
Cloud-Café
There, at the entrance of the chest
between a throat and a tongue
stands a long line of humans
workers in morose clothing
restless with weary faces
making plans
and strategizing hope
waiting for the end of war
frightened by
the price of bread and potatoes
and the cost of words
amused by
the concerns of global warming
and conspiracy theories
while Ebola butterflies
tickle the nose of their imagination
until they laugh
their only consolation
a cigarette
and ashes that drown entire cities
And when break-time is over
they draw crosses and middle fingers
with the coal of time
on the walls of the lung
and return to work
This is how the years of war pass
one
by one
falling like calendar pages
fueling his grandiose plans
the lumberjack of lives
the bookkeeper of martyrs
he who answers the prayers of the dead
who with one hand
places medals on Generals
while with the other
writes on clouds his poetry of lament
This is how the years of war pass
ordinary...
nothing changes but the order of numbers
and the faith of those who chant in the streets
while up there
in "cloud-café"
somebody lifts his eyes for a moment
leaning forward to check on the loud noises
from below
only to
bury his gray beard
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