Five poems from Tarik Dobb’s
*
multitude:
؟مفرد
no
too much tung
too much mouth
for one pole
carry cap:
road-load
soul-load
child-load
past
مفرد
not:
one wife: Noura
one boy: Daoud
bread in towel رغيف
one prayer دعاء
not yet sd
one body
carrying
جمع
yard-space
mouth-space
prayer-space
ma fi spacis
مافي
not
in spec
mouth:
split load
shift:
split
life:
جمع
rated for:
one road
one driver
not for:
split shift
Arabic under breath
همس
sleep half-stood
Rouge mud
to the hem
At dusk
I bring shift-home
on my sleeves
Daoud
asleep
in the crook
يدان
not plural yet
still
too many
for file
ـان
ـين
ـون
Noura:
slow
slow
Longer road now
Or same road
grown in me
all night
on my arm
the plant touches
Daoud
*
Commutator Flag بيت
hoist lower fold
shut swing catch
coil box right hand scarf
spark plug rise if seated table
spring contact never touch ground bed-net
flywheel clear at once gloveprint
last July: old cloth
in one door suit
out the other small paper
not pocket lining
I keep
what they hand me
closest
where it tears
old clothes down
pot mouth
below
blue suit
up
flag
in hand
clap
on cue
what if the right hand
smells of sweat / grease / زيت
what if
the same hand
just steadied
Daoud’s head
what if
the mouth says
يا رب
before yes sir
salute
salu-
s-
x
hand to brow
to hat
to latch
to child
hand
full
the flag hangs now
on the same peg
as my coat
modifier only
أمريكي
before worker
before عربي
before tired
before
؟ديربورني
Noura:
don’t scrub raw
they’ll still see
what they came to see
*
first
second
reverse
لا
reverse naturalizd
prepard
praiyerd
before qort
before القاضي
for your second
for your 2nd
for your snd
؟بلدك
whose
ANY FAMILY DETAINED
AT ANY ENTRY PORT
ARE YOU PREPARED
TO GO BEFORE COURT
The letter comes
creased twice
Once by post
Once by her hand
opening it
Your brother
she says
Not through
Not back
Held
between
answer
and a room
with no door
I learn
which question
wants number
which week
missed deposit
I give them
my people
أهلي
never count
plural
keeps us
جمع
singular
files better
مفرد
their forms
want sound
plural
clean suffix
ours break
inside
to become more
جمع تكسير
بيت بيوت
ولد أولاد
At work
I learn
the shift-work
of speech:
shop-talk
gate-talk
counter-talk
prayer
caught
behind the teeth
No neutral
Only
what I can say
there
what can I say
here
*
Breather Pipe
relieve pressure | keep case
vent vapor | from burst
pipe-mouth
house-mouth
my mouth
not same
all pressure
ya-- bismi-- all--
يا-- بسم-- اللّ--
َ ِ ّ
[ ] [ ] [ ]
if stoppd
case crack
oil blow
parts foul›d
warm
foreign
home
I stop my prayer
mid-breath
Not from doubt
From payroll
From dread
From Daoud
in the next room
From Noura
listening
From the way
fear learns
walls
first
*
me / i
qalb / kalb
house / file
yes / la
ana / أنا
Feeler Gauge
set the gap
not touching
not too far
one thousandth
of an inch
of an error
first person
mis-set
ـٌ
ـً
ـٍ
case ending
gone
ـُ
ـَ
ـِ
still
held
to account
؟مرفوع
؟منصوب
؟مجرور
even stripped
of ending
the noun
still answers
for itself
Joseph / Yousef
Joe / يوسف
one blade
between
one spark
one slip
one life
mis-set
Noura says
my name
once
and all evening
Joe
stays
loose
Tarik Dobbs is an Arab American, disabled, queer poet. They are the author of
The author has no competing interests to declare.