Poetry for Change
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My poetry book, Perfectly Flawed: poetry for change, is a finalist in the Canadian Book Club Awards for poetry.
Exert: Lives Matter, inspired by BLM after G. Floyd was murdered. https://www.amazon.ca/Perfectly-Flawed-poetry-Malak-Kalmoni/dp/1525582518
I’m flabbergasted by the honor of this certificate for my poem: Athena, based on a picture prompt.
Athena
Her resplendent beauty gleams
In the raven sky, her star shines
Brighter with her golden armor, protective
Of her vulnerabilities, as she needs to survive.
Its glow is there to strive
To outlast the unbeliever who stirs the hive.
Her might glistens and reverberates
Throughout her vicinity, vindictive as it propels
Instability, division, dissention, and war!
Booming war cries echo their strengths, none bar
Her entry, as she subjugates those weaker
Through fear and magic of her glittery armor.
Those whose insolence is hidden behind their
Camouflage of piety, are two, three faced, where
They keep their dissonance locked,
So their perfidy is unexpected,
And the humbleness nothing but beguiled
Discourse that pleases the open hearted.
Beware of those wearing lambskin,
But are in reality cutthroats whose noggin
Is an empty shell that requires
It to be filled by others to act out wars.
©️ Malak kalmoni chehab ©️
https://www.amazon.ca/Perfectly-Flawed-poetry-Malak-Kalmoni/dp/1525582518
Her helmet, a squelettal head,
Adorns her brows and forehead.
Her eyes, oh her eyes, windows
To her hardened soul, throws
A challenge to her opponent
To stand down, die, or be subservient.
Her breathtaking beauty will tempt,
But it’s feared as it’s a construct
For those who oppose her will.
Her lithe, seductively attired body is full
Of pernicious intent teetering
On the precipice of justice’s peppering.
Her darkened eyes, bright with
Evil’s pretensions seeping bliss
In veins dripping toxic poisons
That leek from lush, glistening roses
That spew hatred and dissention
That needs to be dismantled in provision
For the lives that are destroyed by
Her delicate sword wielding hands that fly.
©️ Malak kalmoni chehab ©️
Autor of poetry book, Perfectly Flawed.
https://www.amazon.ca/Perfectly-Flawed-poetry-Malak-Kalmoni/dp/1525582518
What fears have you overcome and how?
As a mother, I wanted to have the right tools to better raise my kids, so I went back to university and got a BA in English Literature, a Teaching Diploma, and an MA in Comparative English Literature. For me, all 3 were a way to increase my knowledge, academic, psychology, teaching, and being a better mother. The degrees opened the window for knowledge acquisition, and I moved beyond the academic by becoming a teacher, afraid of being in front of a classroom. My fear was centered around public speaking, not teaching per se, which was a relief. The fact that I was able to connect with my students and have a meaningful relationship with my kids helped get out of my comfort zone. I’m still shy and prefer being in my own head, especially after I started writing, but my fear has been put to rest, thankfully.
Author of poetry book, Perfectly Flawed: poetry for change.
The poem:
Of All the Masks we wear
The masks we wear help us hide
Those parts that are vulnerable
Until the fear of being hurt fade.
It secretes your emotions to keep away trouble.
How do you conceal who you are?
How many facets do you portray?
How bearable is life without it thus far?
How is the fear of being exposed flay?
Those answers are subjective and need
Time to elucidate the importance of trust
That is reciprocated and revered.
Balance your fear and your extrovert in a bust
That embodies fears, ambitions, and beliefs
That make it difficult to be a part of the streams.
©️ Malak kalmoni chehab ©️
Share your inner thoughts, ideas, ideals,
That power your imagination and hails
Down upon you, admiration, envy that entails
You have to choose who needs some derails.
Today, we hide behind our likes,
Our social media personae that drives
Our self-esteem into the grounds
If it’s not up to par with your peers.
Why do we hide?
Is intimacy such a bad ride,
That you need masks to keep all inside?
Or do you soar in flight
Fall, shatter, break, and give only a bite
Out of the ball, then turn it into a free for all?
https://theunsealed.com/activity/p/4514/
Comments on my poetry
“Man has it all in his hands, and it all slips through his fingers from sheer cowardice.” Fyodor Dostoevsky
To be a coward,
One must:
Fear being changed,
Fear loving it,
Fear beauty,
Fear being hopeful,
Fear the inspirational,
Fear of being an individual,
Fear of being assertive,
Fear of being humane,
Fear of being disruptive,
Fear of being positive.
When all is locked in a chest,
How can you break its best
From solid bonds that need a rest?
Take pride in ‘you’, the ‘person’,
Have faith in yourself and press on,
Knowing that what’s right will live on!
What do you write about when you’re unsure what to write about?
I fear my feelings are binding my ability to write today. I apologize for that, but then you have to give age its due. With it comes: fatigue and unending worries. In the world we live in today, where war, a crisis in food supply, increasing inflation and gas prices, where or who do you turn to to alleviate some of that pressure?
I try to stay strong for my family by keeping it bottled in. But how long can I manage that?
My only recourse is my faith, in which I drench my soul. It has the ability, with GOD’S words to place a balm of peace over a worried soul.
Try it, you won’t regret it.
A poem read by Malak Kalmoni Chehab from her poetry book, Perfectly Flawed.
https://anchor.fm/malak-kalmoni/episodes/Lightning-Dreams-e1jkk9h
It’s about fearing one’s ability to achieve dreams, but the fear is the motivator to hard work and success.
So 2 years have passed and I’ve been lucky not to have gotten infected by covid. Until now! The only time you need a test to be negative, it turns out positive!
Everyone, please be careful out there.
Protect yourselves and others.
Let’s hope I can be productive sitting at home! Yah right!
Poetry for Change 