the sea sun-sick, sun-washed, sun-kissed
the sea reckless and in love with the sun
the sea with a heart of a fig, a pomegranate, a lemon
the sea in the ear of the moon, the sea as the mouth
of the moon, the sea vanishing into skins, the sea
rebirthing skins, the sea as the epicenter, the sea as
the arab eyes, the sea as the bodies, the sea reckless
and in love with the moon, the sea moon-sick, moon-washed,
moon-kissed, the sea as the body, the sea as the bodies, the sea
as the lovers, the sea as the virginity, the sea as the grave,
the sea as the midwife, the sea as the footnote, the sea as arabic,
the sea sun-sick, moon-kissed, reckless in love, the sea,
el bahr, sinks and swims, she holds bodies and bodies,
floating into her currents, the red sea, the dead sea,
all of the seas, lay slick against the water, full wetness,
the sea guides every strand of hair back into homes, it is
round up into infinite beginnings and expanding prologues
el bahr, el bahr, el bahr- shayfeh el bahr shu kbeer?

leena aboutaleb is an egyptian + palestinian ghost bred in between baltimore and kuwait. she is currently a graduate student at the george washington university, where she spends her time imagining the multiverses. she can be found on instagram at leena_jpeg.