Reading three poems by Mosab Abu Toha

Poetry Lunch S4E1

Reading three poems by Mosab Abu Toha from Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza, City Lights Books. The poems are: "On a Starless Night," "Everyday Meals During War," and "Hard Exercise."

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Imagine waking to the ground shaking, looking out your window, and seeing your neighbor’s house gone. Reduced to rubble. A slipper sticking out, on a foot with no leg. Could you ever feel safe?

Kicking off this season in the stark space of our new printshop with three poems from Gaza. Which is being actively bombed by Israel right now. I know the violence goes both ways. I know it’s complex and beyond my capacity to reckon. I also know the answer is never more violence.

I don’t know what it’s like to live during war carried out on the ground of my home, but Mosab’s poems give me a window. I invite you to look too. Witnessing is something we can do.

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Related print

I printed another poem by Mosab, "We Love What We Have," after being given this book last spring by Elaine Katzenberger, the publisher of City Lights. Here's the story of that print.

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Links to purchase

Get the book here: Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear and the print here: We Love What We Have.