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Philip Metres is the author of twelve books, including Fugitive/Refuge (Copper Canyon 2024) and Shrapnel Maps (Copper Canyon, 2020), and he is professor of English and director of the Peace, Justice, and Human Rights program at John Carroll University. Philip will be presenting at Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference at the downtown Cleveland Public Library on September 20-21.
Raise Your Glass
--after Fadhil al-Azzawi
A toast to the thirst
that won’t be quenched
To the drought
that dries up in the rain
A toast to the drunk
who finally stops drinking
and drinks
loneliness again
A toast to the fire
that guts the past
and clears way for future
A toast to the country
that misplaces its border guards
To the borderland
between our lives
and the dream of our lives
To the one who won the election
for a country that no longer exists
To the president
who dreams he’s lost his arms
and wakes with an itchy scalp
A toast to the walls
that grow doors overnight
A toast to the migrants
the authors of movement
who write with their feet
To beauty that has no reason
but herself, a toast
A toast to the youth
who don’t know
history tells them
it’s not possible
To us in the middle
of the thicket
& the only way forward
is further in
To the aged
who live their last years
where they’ve always lived—
in another country
A toast to the dream
of the other country
the other country that is
& is not in this one
A toast to social media
and its endless feeds
where the phone eats first
A toast to the Internet
that helps us forget
what we never knew
we needed to know
To the freedom where no one is free
unless everyone is free
To the last page of the Internet
which reads:
GO THE FUCK OUTSIDE
A toast to the host and the guest
the ghost and this house
where we die together tonight
and rise in some distant yesterday
our bodies hiding in the light
of a forgotten open page
Copyright © 2024 by Philip Metres. Used by permission of the author.
Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Raise Your Glass
--after Fadhil al-Azzawi
A toast to the thirst
that won’t be quenched
To the drought
that dries up in the rain
A toast to the drunk
who finally stops drinking
and drinks
loneliness again
A toast to the fire
that guts the past
and clears way for future
A toast to the country
that misplaces its border guards
To the borderland
between our lives
and the dream of our lives
To the one who won the election
for a country that no longer exists
To the president
who dreams he’s lost his arms
and wakes with an itchy scalp
A toast to the walls
that grow doors overnight
A toast to the migrants
the authors of movement
who write with their feet
To beauty that has no reason
but herself, a toast
A toast to the youth
who don’t know
history tells them
it’s not possible
To us in the middle
of the thicket
& the only way forward
is further in
To the aged
who live their last years
where they’ve always lived—
in another country
A toast to the dream
of the other country
the other country that is
& is not in this one
A toast to social media
and its endless feeds
where the phone eats first
A toast to the Internet
that helps us forget
what we never knew
we needed to know
To the freedom where no one is free
unless everyone is free
To the last page of the Internet
which reads:
GO THE FUCK OUTSIDE
A toast to the host and the guest
the ghost and this house
where we die together tonight
and rise in some distant yesterday
our bodies hiding in the light
of a forgotten open page
Copyright © 2024 by Philip Metres. Used by permission of the author.
Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
