Under the shade of the middle eastern palm tree, I read
laying on a bench nestled in my grandmother’s neglected garden
making friends with the dust and the fleeting sun
Under the shade of the middle eastern palm tree, I stare
focusing on the blades of greenery and distant memories
that caress the longing in my heart
Under the shade of the middle eastern palm tree, I eat
fruit of summer enjoyed in the beginning of January
my window of inspiration reveals itself
as winter reminds me of its presence
Under the shade of the middle eastern palm tree, I hope
to return to your heart as the baby dove returns to her protector
my window is growing, mirroring your forgotten smile lines
Under the shade of the middle eastern palm tree, I miss you
listening for the ghastly whispers of your mother tongue
under the shade of the middle eastern palm tree
I, remain patient
HAMZAH TALEB is a writer and legal studies scholar based in Toronto, whose work is steeped in the language of love, as feeling, philosophy, and politics. He explores how desire, justice, and tenderness shape identity, weaving the romantic into the legal, the poetic into the political, and care into critique.