Ramsey Nasr Biography

the rose the lily the dove the sun
monkey saturn the hydrogen bomb
love's bliss encompasses a lot of things
...

science laugh it off
but it's only natural
for crying out loud
it's never clicked between us
...

turn my mother into a luxuriant garden of snow
creamy-white jasmine and roses grow white
the fullest of sounds come deep from within
like fruit in the stone

turn my mother into chameleons two without eyes
green he gambled and stroked the chest
she'd curled towards him, deepest red
so something beautiful might arise

turn my mother into a cathedral of light in a box
in the morning lift up the wooden lid and listen
to the many-voiced mass that begins
a celebration of loss

turn my mother into the same girl but iron
raise her this time with more powerful blows
console her or teach her some smart magic spells
because in this body she's dying
...

silly juliet
what have you done
those eyes snuffed out
your throat squeezed shut
your gut run through
your fingers cut up
you've murdered your body
with silly silly thoughts
i am here
do you want me
do you want me to rise up to you
to push you up further
to pull you along
to give you my help
to learn to fly together
without letting go
toasting each other
two chambers one heart
i am coming my love
i put on my heavy wings
and rise
i rise
and on the way i'll count the stars for you
and planets too
with water sprinkling from my toes
i'll keep ten toes for you
and both my heels will shoot out light-blue gas
to bring me higher close to you
filth dripping from my eyes
and running down my cheeks
to fill up both my hands
they pour it out
far below
dead filth over dead earth
i am coming closer
i pick up speed
the skies around turn dark i call your name
i see the stars behind me fail
i see them slowly dim
while i squeeze flames from all my hairs
fine tubes over my entire body
my head is burning for you
my hands are ten pinions of radiant fire
i rise with my own power
no longer ascending
i am coming to you
my body melts away
my bones explode like hot swamp gas
i am radiant
feel my body swell and burst
veins arteries capillaries
nerves of light solidified as light for you
i've changed myself for you
i am searching now for you
i light you up from deep inside
i seek the edges of your hollow body
searching for your fingers
ten fingers for me
i burn
i scorch bright inside you
do you feel me
i am coming to you my love
i am coming
...

welcome to the land of milk and honey
where figalmondapricots grow
unmetaphorically on accommodating trees
eat of them and be my guest today
i'll pay your taxi to the first roadblock

my father waits behind the second roadblock
he'll make you his guest of honour too
with oil bread oregano sesame
stars press down upon his roof
sleep there and give him nadir's love

the day to father is hard but essential
try to find a kid with a barrow
take donkeys or scramble on foot round the cliffs
follow the others keep telling yourself
now we are animals this is permissible

wheelchairs go bouncing through dust
back from the city where they cure the sick
diabetic with cancer in blazing sun
many old, many sick, many sweating animals
but that's the whole idea

in the day we are sweating climbing animals
because that's the whole idea
they beat and kick the animals to an end
that one day we will give milk and honey
one day manna will rain from human hands

if this seems insane to you habibi
just think that miles down the road
real girls and boys are sitting nervously
outside starbucks as an act of resistance
uproarious in fear of their lives
...