Your Best American (____/____)
after Mitski
I sachet
and blush, raise
a white flag: tell me
what you want,
I’ll put it
(on/in) my body – drench
myself in glitter
(anti-Nazi glitter). If you need it,
I’ll say I love you
in my accent,
in my delicious drawl.
I’ll draw a river out of you,
banks verdant,
wide as a horizon. Bury me
in this shrubbery. Watch me
(Rick)roll in my grave – isn’t that
a joke worthy
of (American) applause? A show
in death is still
a show and habibi, I plan
on showing-off, I
could
forever
ahead of me
the sun the night
its song
the moon
awake singing
wait , come
approve of how all
I do
all boy
girl
I wanted
regret
my mother raised me
finally
all-American
I think
Hazem Fahmy is a poet and critic from Cairo. He is an Honors graduate of Wesleyan University’s College of Letters where he studied literature, philosophy, history and film. His poetry has appeared, or is forthcoming in Apogee, HEArt, Mizna, and The Offing. His performances have been featured on Button Poetry and Write About Now. He is a poetry editor for Voicemail Poems and a contributing writer to Film Inquiry. In his spare time, Hazem writes about the Middle East and tries to come up with creative ways to mock Classicism. He makes videos occasionally.
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