On Languages:
I.
fact: the arabic word هواء /hawa/ means wind
the arabic word هوى /hawa/ means love
test: [multiple choice]
abdelhalim said you left me holding wind in my hands
or
abdelhalim said you left me holding love in my hands
abdelhalim was left empty
or
abdelhalim was left full
fairouz said o wind, take me to my country
or
fairouz said o love, take me to my country
fairouz is looking for vehicle
or
fairouz is looking for fuel
oum kalthoum said where the wind stops her ships, we stop ours
or
oum kalthoum said where love stops her ships, we stop ours
oum kalthoum is stuck
or
oum kalthoum is home
— "Vocabulary" by Safia Elhillo
II.
Listen:
My father speaks Urdu,
language of dancing peacocks,
rosewater fountains -
even its curses are beautiful.
He speaks Hindi,
suave and melodic,
earthy Punjabi,
salty-rich as saag paneer,
coastal Swahili laced with Arabic.
He speaks Gujarati,
solid ancestral pride.
Five languages,
five different worlds.
Yet English
shrinks
him
down
before white men
— "Migritude" by Shailja Patel
