ODE TO A TERRORIST by Nejoud Al-Yagout

On June 26th, 2015, ISIS attacked a Shia mosque…

It happened in the tiny, peaceful emirate of Kuwait during Friday prayers in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. As I grappled with the aftermath of this tragedy, I wrote a patriotic poem in response to the attack.

Weeks later, as I returned to my spiritual core, I wrote a second poem, Ode to a Terrorist. This view was more expansive and resonated from my heart. Though there are traces of the ego - in the form of "hate" - there are instances where the soul remembers that "we were one." We still are, though we resist acknowledging it. May it resonate in your soul.

Ode to a Terrorist

by Nejoud Al-Yagout

You are a thought, manifested

Whose thought are you?

Yours, mine, ours?

Somewhere in a paradigm beyond the temporal, spatial

We were one

Read your heart; there are sonnets of love

And, yet you make it so complicated

Believing thoughts that are not even yours

Dancing to others’ projections

Basking in the madness of the collective

Awaken… As some of you have

Is there a me, you?

In this world of polarities

Is there?

Meet me on the moon

Let’s drink stardust and talk of our demons

I hate this hate I have toward you

I hate this hate you have toward me

I hate this hate

Let’s surrender

Nejoud Al-Yagout is a Kuwaiti poet who has authored two books - This is an imprint and Awake in the Game of Pretending. The first book is a compilation of 58 pairs of poems. The first poem in each pair is written on a low frequency or angst, grief or identity crisis while its response is written from a higher level of consciousness or awareness. My second book of poems chronicles a spiritual journey in six chapters: Awakening, Dark Night of the Soul, The Matrix, Realm-Love, Forum of Expression and The Divine. Al-Yagout has lived in various countries such as Pakistan, Italy, China, the UAE and UK. She currently resides in her country of origin - Kuwait. For further information, please visit her website here, youtube channel or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~

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