Calling poets to a greater role in public life and fostering a national network of socially engaged poets.
By Tala KhanmalekAdded: Monday, October 31, 2022 / Used with permission.unbound pages carry my inheritance from Baba
a strategy to get around the system, like Baba
after more surgeries and swap meets confined him to bed
how you passed the time in pain, I couldn’t fathom, Baba.
all night he would read tales about the Orient express
each chapter pried out (thrifting was a custom for Baba).
even paperbacks are too heavy to hold, he said—but
the weight of English words, how can we overcome Baba?
I balk at pieces of stories binder-clipped together.
natars, you can rip books apart: crip wisdom by Baba.
Listen as Tala Khanmalek reads “crip wisdom ghazal.”
Tala Khanmalek is a writer, scholar, and activist. She is the recipient of a 2023 Creative Capital Award, among other honors. For more information, visit Tala's website.
Image Description: Tala Khanmalek looks directly into the camera with a cream-colored wall in the background. She is wearing a mustard-colored sweater, rosey lipstick, and eyeglasses. Long dark brown curls frame her face and cascade on the right.