Hura

Hura 

after January 25th

When will it be
that a generation
has its baksheesh
not as some grudging gineh
tossed into a palm
but as a sweet freedom
dripping off of kunafa.
A huriya lingering and sticky,
smothering old bitterness,
of bread queues,
and wanting,
and wanting,
and needing,
and needing.
Bukra Insha-Allah.
No.
His Will is Today.

hura – Free
baksheesh – gift/ euphemism for a tip
gineh – the Egyptian Pound
kunafa – a type of sweet
huriya – Freedom
Bukra Insha-Allah – Tomorrow, God Willing.

Published by

saaleha

I am a writer and photographer (look up my work on www.shootcake.com) based in Johannesburg, South Africa. I have an MA in Creative Writing from the university currently known as Rhodes. My writing accolades include winning the 2014 Writivism Short Story Prize and the 2020 Ingrid Jonker Poetry Prize for my debut collection, Zikr.

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