wednesday recs

Jul 9, 20145 min read

Deviation Actions

Published: Jul 9, 2014

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PROSE

Engraved On The Eye by Saladin Ahmed is a collection of short stories, of fantasy and science fiction, that, first and foremost, you can get for free in various different formats, from Smashwords. I read this on my Kindle on the flight back to Shanghai, and it was absolutely lovely, and I highly recommend it. Here's an excerpt from one short story:

Like God-alone-knew how many vets, Ali’s ostensibly inactive OS still garbled forth a glitchy old prompt from time to time.

God willing, Faithful Soldier, you will pick up your new field ablution kit after your debriefing today.

God willing, Faithful Soldier, you will spend your leave-time dinars wisely—at Honest Majoudi’s!

But this new message had been unlike anything Ali had ever seen. Blood-freezingly current in its subject matter.

God willing, Faithful Soldier, you will go to the charity-yard of the Western Mosque in Old Cairo. She will live.

poetry

Rosabel by Angelina Weld Grimké (1880-1958). Grimké was an African-American poet, playwright, teacher, and more; she was one of the first African-American women to have her plays publicly performed. You can find out more about her, and more of her writing, at Isle of Lesbos or at Wikipedia. I really love this poem and everything about it.

I
Leaves, that whisper, whisper ever,
Listen, listen, pray;
Birds, that twitter, twitter softly,
Do not say me nay;
Winds, that breathe about, upon her,
(Since I do not dare)
Whisper, twitter, breathe unto her
That I find her fair.

II
Rose whose soul unfolds white petaled
Touch her soul rose-white;
Rose whose thoughts unfold gold petaled
Blossom in her sight;
Rose whose heart unfolds red petaled
Quick her slow heart's stir;
Tell her white, gold, red my love is;
And for her,–for her.