Two Poems by Homa Mojadidi

Political Prisoner

My grandfather made
tasbih beads from the insides
of bread he was fed

while being held
at an undisclosed
prison in Kabul—

on his last days on earth
he chose to feed
not his body but his soul

I wish I could have seen him
praying on the bare moldy floor
the walls smeared with blood

dignified and self-composed
while his enemies plotted
how and when to kill him

and make his body disappear
so that his loved ones
would never find him—

*

Breath

The breath
a bridge—between
the tangible and the abstract

connecting the elusive strands
of memory

gluing thoughts to place
scents to sounds
the face of a loved one

calling to us
across the years
holding their outstretched hand

Time expanding—
and contracting
with every breath

We breathe—not to live
but to remember

*

Homa Mojadidi is an Afghan American poet and translator. Her translation of a Baidel ghazal appeared in the November 14 issue of the Asymptote blog. In her own poetry, Homa explores the themes of loss, exile, memory, and mysticism. She is fluent in English, Farsi, and Urdu. Homa has an M.A. in English Literature from the University of North Florida and is pursuing an M.F.A. in Creative Writing with a concentration in poetry from George Mason University. She has taught English Composition and Literature classes at the University of Florida where she was pursuing her Ph.D. in Postcolonial Literature and currently teaches English Composition at George Mason University.