Be Kind by Nada Adel Sobhi - Poem

Be kind to yourself

For you are all you have

 

Don't blame

The girl in the mirror

She's human

Entitled to making mistakes

 

Don't yell at her

Or make her cry

Don't call her names

Or shut her out

 

She wants to learn,

Wants to love

 

But treating her

– or mistreating her –

Will only push her away,

Drive her into the darkness,

Where she'll forever be

A shadow,

Fragile,

Broken,

Tainted,

Abused,

Scared,

Alone.

 

Look in the mirror

Look at her

All she needs is a friend

Not another scrutinizer,

Not another bully,

Not another enemy

 

She wants to live

And love

Just like you.

 

She is You.

 

Instead,

You want to break her

 

The result:

A broken soul

A broken mirror

A broken woman

A broken human.

 

Look into the mirror

And be kind

To the person staring back at you.

 

I don't know what this image is called but I'm 
told it's by an artist called Mihail Korubin.

x

Written Tuesday, 10 November 2020 at 01:12 am

 

There's Magic in All of Us - Poem by Nada Adel Sobhi

There's magic in all of us

We may not see it

Feel it, or even understand it

 

But it's there

Always has been

Always will be

 

Sitting deep within

Waiting to be unlocked

Like a whirlpool

Waiting for the lid to be removed

Like a fire

Waiting to be ignited

 

There's magic in all of us

A spark

Waiting for the right moment,

The trigger

To awaken within

To rise

and push and pull you higher

 

Trust me

It's there

Poets have spoken of it

Authors dream of it

 

Some call it love

Some call it passion

Many call it many things

 

How do you awaken your magic?

By exploring

 

Exploring the world

Exploring yourself

Understanding yourself

 

You are not your wants and needs

You are not what society demands

You are not a grain of sand

Tossed by the wind

 

You are water

Ever-changing

Ever-flowing

Ever-growing

Flexible and magical

 

So look out the window

Breathe the night's fresh air

Walk out the door

And discover yourself

 

Look at the stars,

The trees, the flower, the birds

Clear your mind

Look, observe, listen

Enjoy and discover

 

Look at the sun and sea

Be entranced by their magic

Read & read & read

Till your curiosity is unleashed

 

There's magic in all of us

But are you brave enough

To discover

And unleash it?

 

Written Saturday, 12 September 2020

Inspired by a phrase by author Tish Thawer

Ship of Death by Nada Adel Sobhi - Poem

Through high wind

And a bloody red sky

The Ship of Death sails

A beast of the seven seas

Traversing perilous waters

Carrying nightmares

From centuries past

Come high water

Come rain, lightning, and thunder

Come bellowing beasts

From the dark depths

Nothing shall stand

Before the Ghost Ship of Death

Written Friday, 10 April 2020 at 02:02 am

Inspired by a painting by J Edward Neill on Twitter

Artwork by J Edward Neill

Follow J Edward Neill on Twitter and Instagram for some amazing dark artwork and books.

Change, a poem by Nada Adel Sobhi

Change

It's all around us

From the rising and setting

Of the mighty sun

To the trees

Shedding their leaves

– to even snakes

Shedding their skins –

Each changes and grows

Even the river that flows;

There is a power

To their change

So do our emotions

And moods

We shed the cold

For the warmth of spring

And the heat of summer

Change

Is all around us

Sometimes expected

Other times not so much

And yet

We often resent it

Change

It takes us out of our shell,

Our comfort zone, our routine,

But like the trees

We grow with every change

We open our eyes

To new challenges

To a new world

With every change

We mature a little,

Become a little wiser

Change;

It can be an opportunity

We just have to learn

To embrace it

And grow

A little wiser

Along the way

Photography by Mahmoud Mansi - Takhayyal Writing Prompt 105 

Written Friday, 27 March 2020 at 01:03

(During the Corona Virus Pandemic)

I originally wanted to keep this poem till April for National Poetry Month, but someone told me it was "perfect for this time" so I decided I'm celebrating National Poetry Month a little early :)  

This poem was inspired by the March 2020 writing prompt (Image above, photography by Mahmoud Mansi)

The Mighty Thunder Roars by Nada Adel Sobhi

The thunder roars

Children run

And hide beneath the covers

Whilst others look outside,

Watching the rain pitter-patter

Against the window and pavement.

The air is cold but refreshing

Clean and pure

– for a change –

People huddle at home,

Read, watch TV, cook,

Going about their 1-day vacation

But the Thunder

Isn't satisfied

It roars and howls

Screams against the world

We look up

From our chores

And our lives

We stand still,

Contemplating

Thoughts flitting through our minds

Horror, prayer, fear, and love

The Thunder

Howls again;

The rain pours

Furiously

The streets become over-sized puddles

Streetlamps flicker and die out

Families run to remove the collecting water;

Electricity cut,

More running to find a torch or candle

All the while

The Thunder

Continues to rage…

Earlier on Thursday, 12 March 2020 in Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt

Written Thursday, 12 March 2020 – at 16:20

After a massive downpour in Cairo, Egypt (along with several other governorates).

Rain can be beautiful but it can be deadly too.

Lost in Beauty - Poem by Nada Adel Sobhi

The wind in my face

The music in my ears

The waves at my feet

And the sun gazing upon us all…

My definition of summer

The tune changes

Loreena McKennit fills my ears

And I know the magic will begin

Its power passing

From my music player

To the wind and water

I close my eyes

As the pen moves of its own accord

She too speaks of the sea

The water flows at my feet                            

Keeping me cool

Against the curious sun

I drop my pen

As my senses become lost

In the beauty before and around me

By: Nada Adel Sobhi

Photography by Nada Adel Sobhi. Location: North Coast, Egypt, KM 87

The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace – Book Review

The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace is a different kind of poetry collection. I had seen the cover a few times on Goodreads and was excited to find my cousin had downloaded the book via our shared Kindle account.

So I picked up Lovelace's book and wow!

The Princess Saves Herself in this One is an interesting read. It took me a while to get used to the book. I don't mind free verse; many of my poems are in free verse but Lovelace usually makes a comment in a few lines and then writes the final note in an independent poetic prose conclusion.

(Like here: Image below)

The poems are both emotional and harsh as Lovelace speaks about emotional and physical abuse. Topics, that as I read, inspired me to write a poem I called "Sometimes Hope Isn't Beautiful." (Haven't decided where I'd publish this yet)

Also, all the poems in The Princess Saves Herself in this One have no titles, so I can't really say which poems I liked more than the rest. While the idea of having no titles makes it hard to recommend certain pieces, I liked how Lovelace went about that. I'm sure it was liberating not to think of titles for 80+ poems! :D

I liked the opening or rather warning about the book, that "this is not/ a fairy tale/ there is no/ princess/ there is no/ damsel/ there is no queen/ there is no/ tower/ there are no/dragons/ there is simply/ a girl/ faced with the/difficult task/of learning to/ believe in/ herself."

There is a lot of experimentation in The Princess Saves Herself in this One, with some poems being in bullet-points format, others being like a dictionary format but all in poetic free verse. There is also a kind of shape poetry or poems that are just formatted differently. (Like this one below)

The book is divided into 4 parts or stages: The Princess, The Damsel, The Queen, and You. Each of these marks a stage in Lovelace's life and what I assume is inherent, a woman's life. As you read, you will feel that the speaker is progressing and growing with each stage. 

As is the case with poetry collections and anthologies, it's near impossible to love or even like all the poems in the book. The Princess Saves Herself in this One is no exception, especially since there are A LOT of poems in there. That said, I enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.

Overall, I think Amanda Lovelace's The Princess Saves Herself in this One is an experience of itself. I'd like to read the following parts in her three-book poetry series.

Overall rating: 4 stars

Add The Princess Saves Herself in this One via Goodreads.

Update: The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace has made it to Nadaness In Motion's Top Books of 2019.

Am I Free? - Word bank-inspired poem

Surrounded by a clear blue sky

A pristine sea, a lake full of fish

The sun is warm against my skin

But my soul, it's not at peace

What's missing? What do I need?

I look around, it's calming

And yet…

A kitten of pure white rubs against my foot

Meows softly and disappears

I look around, I'm fine but…

Thoughts run around my mind

Why am I unhappy? Where's my comfort zone?

What's missing? What do I need?

A flock of birds flies above me

I watch them disappear into the mountains

The way they fly

They flock, but something about them

They're free

What about me?

When will I be independent?

When will I be free?

And is that what I truly need?

****

This poem was inspired by a word bank from my new and dear friend Sara Shaker: Here are the words she requested:

Warm – free – soul – peace – pure – comfort zone – independent – need?