Epigrammatic Eloquence

The Far Mosque by Kazim Ali
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kazim Ali's collection of poetry are shaped by their own growth and search for meaning. Though often in fragments or snippets rather than any classical form, their have shape and are accessible as they are rich in an eloquence that is often epigrammatic:

"When a Scholar pauses by a closed door
She may not be listening to the music, but to the door"

"Carry what you can in your hands. Scatter the rest."

There is a humble humanity and a deep compassion in Ali's words. As mush as this collection reflects the diaspora of language and people in our post-post-Modern world, there is hope and a sense of the unity of being:

"Then the gray-green sky came down in breaths to my lips and sipped me."



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