Tag: detroit

excerpts from “ALI” (formerly “HAGDAR”)

~ Yousef Alqamoussi ~ Leave a comment

The following excerpts have been selected from a long-term project called ‘Ali’ (formerly ‘Hagdar’), an American English epic poem exploring the life and times of Ali ibn Abi Talib (عَلِيّ ٱبْن أَبِي طَالِب), the cousin, companion, and successor of the Prophet Muhammad. When completed, the poem is estimated to be roughly 10,000 lines in length, spanning almost a century of Arab and Islamic history.

 

 

In the name of the Most Gracious, Merciful,

The Master of the heavens and the earth,

The Knower of the hidden and the bared,

In God’s Most Gracious name I now begin:

 

So sing, O ancient bards, of ageless kings

From far and wide, who spread their spacious wings

Above the lengthy lands and endless seas! Continue reading “excerpts from “ALI” (formerly “HAGDAR”)” →

Force: a story story

~ Yousef Alqamoussi ~ 1 Comment

Today is Monday October 9.

Today misses Spencer goed up to the front of the class and sayd to us Class one two three one two three drop your pencil eyes on me and then she smiled at us and we laffed becaz her smile its so pretty. Then misses spencer sayd Friends we are going to have a new adition to our class he is a new studint Everyone say hello to our new friend !  then we all said HELLO NEW FRIEND but he didnt say hi back he just standed in the front of the class and he looked down on the flor and haved his arms crosed and a mad face and then Misses Spencer sayd to the new boy Why dont you tell us your name? …

Read the full graphic version here: Force, by Yousef Alqamoussi

Jalsa: a short story

~ Yousef Alqamoussi ~ Leave a comment

“Bro, this queer’s fleeked out or some shit.”

Ameer had understood only two words from that sentence: “this” and “or”.

The others must have been in a vernacular unfamiliar to him. After all, he was aware that American English varied by region. When he had heard the sentence in class, whispered schemingly from one classmate to another, he had scrambled to write it down. He only hoped that he had spelled it out correctly: “brow this kweerz flekout or semshet”. He had hoped to look the words up later. Continue reading “Jalsa: a short story” →