after Mohammed Bashir Ateeq’s أنا وأنت والنيل والقمر as sung by Abdalaziz Daoud
tonight, I notice your skin in faint moonlight your arm moves slow to the ripple of the bass each percussive thud a different side of skin brought to life
a new dimension now apparent at the viscosity of blue light the rhythm changes form it’s buoyant
catching my heart mid-step it falters it stumbles it regains composure so the lyric can speak
ana wa enta wal neel wal gamar you & me & the nile & the moon
ana wa enta wal neel wal gamar you & me & the nile & the moon
Ola Elhassan is a Sudanese poet, curator, and electrical engineer in London. Sometimes her poetry experiments with and about music, mathematics, physics, and dancing. She is a resident poet and member of the Common Sound collective, and has featured on the Common Sound Spring “Compilation 22” and Raelle’s debut EP “Bloodlines.” She has performed at the Roundhouse, the Serpentine Gallery and Ake Arts Book Festival and more. You can find her poems in various international anthologies including PANK Magazine, Inkwell Journal and most recently, Before Them, We.