Arrogance Poem by nadia abduljabbar

She came to me
Sobbing like a child,
Telling me about
He fear from his silence,
“My be he is in his cave
As the book Men from
Mars Women from Venus
Says”,

She did not laugh
At what I said
And continued saying
While moaning,
You see he is supposed
To be a far relative
Of mine, and I
Kind of remember his
Family like a far shadow;
I remember my mother’s
Praise for his father,
Who used to visit Father
Weekly;
They used to be close
Friends.

I still remember his father-
Though I was three years old-
In his traditional clothes,
Grilling with father
Beside trees.

I still remember his mother
And aunt,
In their black suits,
Swimming in our pool.
Can the son of a good
Man play tricks on me,
And why?
Under the name of LOVE?
What love that make
A man break a woman’s
Heart? !

Some years ago, I sat
Beside the mother in
My eldest sibling’s party,
And there was a rapport
Between us.

Before meeting him, I
Met a sibling of his
And I liked her a lot,
I told my family I
Want to be her friend,
Especially I heard she
Liked me as well.

But one of my sibling,
Who is supposed
To be their friend,
Warned me never
To try to be close
To snobbish people
As such,
And I said what?
Why conceit, arrogance
And Pomposity? !

She said they became rich,
I said so what, are they
Rich from inside or hollow?
I knew a lot of rich non-Muslim
People in the West,
And they were proud
To have me as a friend,
For if they have private
Wings to travel anywhere,
I have the wings of the intellect,
I do not hold grudge
Because I do not own what
They own,
And they do not hate me for
Having a mind that they
Cannot buy, nor despise
Me for lacking some
Materialistic things.

I felt so sad, but did not
Believe what is said
That much,
Until some weeks ago I sent
A message to his youngest
Sibling asking if she likes
To be a friend.
She did not even reply
To my message,
Worse than that
Some members of the
Family began to hint
That we warned you not
To come close to
Such a family;
It seemes she
Complained to them.

Now I am so confused
Is he not contacting
Directly out of overconfidence
Or haughtiness or he
Is really planning for things,
I said I really can’t help
In this for no one knows
About the inside.

I heard also that his mum
Says: “ our men are under
Our feet”, and I am frightened
She or an x wife
Destroy my life,
If they are
Controlling his life.

All I could say,
Close the issue;
Leave it to time,
And it will show
What is what,
Which is which,
AND
Who is who.

I keep on hearing
The story in this land,
Again and again;
That men love to play
With women’s hearts,
And I wonder
What joy they find in this?
What courage is under this?
Why men do to women,
Such a thing? ! ! ! ! ! !

Jeddah,

10 April,2013