September 13, 2017

A Poem by Rafik Massoudi: "Nostalgia"

Rafik Massoudi was born in Tunisia iand now lives in Oman. He received an M.A. in English Language and Literature in 2008 from the Higher Institute of Languages in Tunis. Currently, he is Lecturer of English Language, English Language Unit, Arab Open University-Oman Branch. He is also a researcher in English literature and published an article entitled “The Impure Identity in Neruda`s Poetry: Plural Identities” in the International Journal of Literary Humanities. He recently published another article titled "Narrating Irish Identity: Retrieving Irishness in the Works of William Butler Yeats and Seamus Heaney." His research interests include, among others, post-colonialism and postmodernism and their deal with identity, culture and history.







Nostalgia


When you feel content,
calm & in peace,
nostalgia comes to
vex & increase
homesickness & discontent.

When you feel integrated,
sunk & non preposterous,
nostalgia comes to
remind again & again;
“you are alien & outrageous”.

When you feel that you
totally forgot about
olive & palm trees
nostalgia tells you:
hurry! Behold these
& enjoy their aromas. 

When you feel that you
could hardly remember
stories about Hannibal, Zazia,
Beni Zid or Afriqiya,
nostalgia comes & tells you:
shame on ya!
Have you forgotten your 
grandmum`s bedtime stories?

Then, when you feel that
your heart has become
like a rough, arid stone
nostalgia comes to tell you 
that you have to drop
tears,
tears,
and tears…




© Rafik Massoudi



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