Poetry Corner
All of My Love
Maryam Uddin
I’m richest when I see a glimpse of my smile in your eyes,
And I’m proudest when you wave your hand for me to hold,
Yearning that tastes like drunken tendencies, my sighs
Just to tease you and the low light of the overhead bulbs.
I’ve got young blood, and you’ve got all of my love,
I’d wear my skin thin, hope time heals what you don’t tell me,
Sit on a porch wondering what you’re up to, if you’re sleepy,
I’d lean in for a kiss and the wind between us would steal my words,
But I have my ways to speak to you — you’ve got all of my love.
Baptized in the beating of your heart, sweetened in the heat
Of your loving, heart thrumming to your gentle footsteps,
Every radio static catches signal and I hear your name only,
And every time I run, a sense of you catches me, and you tell me
Everything will be okay — suddenly, even if I lose everything,
I still feel rich — I have you, and you’ve got all of my love.
Us in Essaouira, Essaouira in Us
Mashiyat Ahmed
Did you know that Essaouira is the only city in
The whole of Morocco that allows unmarried couples
To share a hotel room together?
The seaside city makes an exception because she knows lovers can’t resist
Imitating the shy sensuality of her waves, or
The fleeting devotion of her cats that wait
Eagerly by my grandpa’s restaurant for their next meal.
She, with her cheap tagines and Gnaoua music,
Creates a place—a whole city—for us to be lovers without
The need to be forever.
I want you in my tomorrow, but Essaouira knows the truth better than me;
She knows that what I really want is a return to me.
So, I flew myself to Essaouira, a place without pretense,
A place where desire is formless, not taking the shape of longevity,
A place where our appetites are timeless,
A place where freedom is more than just a feeling.
A list of features in the car I received for my twentieth birthday
Maryam Raheel
- A white body coated in the words “drive safe” and “text me when you get there,” complete with tires rimmed in “check underneath” even when it’s cold.
- A pocket of a trunk I tuck my troubles into, hidden between half-filled suitcases with clothes I had no time to fold.
- GPS navigation system programmed with home address(es) because “living at home” is synonymous with “living with my parents” even at 20 years old.
- A collection of grocery bags that resists my family’s love language of cut fruits that I struggle to buy on my own.
- I cluelessly knock on watermelons before squeezing them into a bag with nail polish and acetone.
- Bluetooth audio with an aux cord on standby so I do not talk myself into madness on the days no one bothers to call my phone.
- A sunroof that kisses my head each time I slide into the adjusted seats, raised to a height that allows me to see higher than the car horn.
- It remains sealed shut because time tore my thirst for tender thrill and the endless sky sits too far, too distant, lost in the rearview still.
Opinion Editor (Volume 51); Associate Opinion Editor (Volume 50) — Mashiyat (Mash) is a third-year student studying Neuroscience and Professional Writing and Communication (PWC). As this year’s Opinion Editor, Mash hopes to use her writing, editorial, and leadership skills in supporting student journalism in the essential role it plays in fostering intellectual freedom and artistic expression on campuses. When she’s not writing or slaving away at school, Mash uses her free time cooking cultural dishes, striking up conversations with strangers, and being anxious about her nebulous career plans. You can connect with Mash on her LinkedIn.