Written by : Hashem
Translated from arabic by : Tamara Qiblawi
Hashem Hashem is a queer poet and performer based in Beirut, Lebanon. He has been part of feminist and queer organizing in Lebanon and the MENA region since 2009. Hashem holds a BA in Media Studies, and an MA in Gender & Sexuality Studies from SOAS, University of London. He has performed his poetry at different venues in Lebanon, Belfast, Mexico City and Kathmandu. In 2018, together with Baladi dancer Alexandre Paulikevitch, Hashem wrote and performed The Last Distance, a performance about queer embodiment and language. Currently, Hashem hosts a weekly poetry section, Bouyout, on Hammam Radio. His first poetry collection, Class Hatred, will be published in September 2020.
Blog: https://hashembeirut.wordpress.com
Instagram: @hashem.beirut
Don’t believe what they say
Life doesn’t happen
Inside neat minds
And polite hearts
When I strip myself
Of my rings
I strip myself
Of elegant words
Of coherent sentences
I become
The mouth of an Arab
The mouth of a Barbarian
That knows no knife nor spoon
Hands that are free
Hands that can’t write
But with a hammer and nail
I become
A secret path
A wild forest
That won’t hide
Its dark corners
I become
A rebellious snake
That won’t apologize
For its painful bites.
