Poetry Recommendations: Lexicon

8 poems exploring the human condition through linguistic identity

In honour of Zhagaram’s Lexicon issue, we’re sharing eight poems that are brave, vulnerable and true in the way they explore the human condition through the lens of linguistic identity. We’re open for submissions until 31st August for any poems you may write inspired by these wonderful poets.

1. “Do You Speak Persian?” by Kaveh Akbar

Some days we can see Venus in mid-afternoon. Then at night, stars
separated by billions of miles, light travelling years

to die in the back of an eye.

Is there a vocabulary for this—one to make dailiness amplify
and not diminish wonder?

I have been so careless with the words I already have.

I don’t remember how to say home
in my first language, or lonely, or light.

I remember only
delam barat tang shodeh, I miss you,

and shab bekheir, goodnight.

2. 我疼你 by Chen Chen

疼, which contains 冬,
which means winter.
Likely a sonic borrowing, since 疼 is téng, 冬 is dōng—
probably, at an earlier time, they lived closer
in sound. Winter, living

beneath the roof-like 疒 radical, meaning “sickness.”
To be sick in the heart of winter. No.
To be sick with a winter’s heart. No.
To be sick with winter for you—is that the love
I feel? A perpetual inner

December? Does to love mean to worry, to be a worrier
on the snowy field of another’s face?
Once, you said you were worried
I’d get my brothers, your other (truer?) sons, sick.
More than once. The both of you. Said. This.

3. To The Common Tongue by Chen Chen

4. I Dream of An English by Meena Kandasamy

5. ȚARA ARDE ȘI BABA SE PIAPTĂNĂ by Adriana Oniță

The country is on fire and the old woman is brushing her hair.

—Romanian proverb

Because she can’t smell the smoke. Because she’s combing out the flames. Because her country is a rough draft. Because she set fire to the country. Because she’s seen it all. Because she knows rain is coming. Because she won the war. Because she lost her children in the war. Because she wanted to become proverb. Because she is the library about to burn. Because her body is bait.

6. PĂLĂVRĂGEALĂ by Adriana Oniță

―Wait, shouldn’t the Romanian words appear in italics?

―Maybe italics would make it easier to skip over them.

―Why aren’t there footnotes, or a translation, or a glossary?

―Not translating the Romanian seems arrogant. Personally, I would want my writing to be understood.

7. From “Glossary of Grief” by Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach

witness / _______

to bear the ness “action, quality,

or state” of wit “knowledge”

to bear meaning “carry, bring”

in your hands and mouth

from root bher- “carry

a burden” meaning “bring forth,

give birth, produce” in your body

more bodies to bear meaning I walked

the earth bearing my dead

I walked bearing my son’s body

I walked meaning “endure

without resistance” meaning

imagine an earth soft enough

8. Dear White Critic, ،رفيقي في الرحيل by Zeina Hashem Beck

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Cover Photograph by Alex Shuper.

Did I miss any of your favourite poems? Give Zhagaram and its readers your Lexicon poetry recommendations in the comments.