Nadine Channaoui
just like that thirty-five thousand
gone demolished killed starved diseased
one thousand for each year i have circled
the sun
another thousand for the circle
my daughter has made
just like that my blood is less
tied to the earth and more
tied to the stars
lunar days of our Holy month
came endured went just like our newborns
and their siblings
just like that the buildings and homes
housing dreams and their dreamers
became dirt and dust
just like that two hundred days
became
two hundred one
two hundred two
two hundred three
two hundred four
two hundred five
zero
infinity
just like that.
Nadine Channaoui (she/her) writes and performs poetry alongside her day job as a genetic counselor. She has published both creative and scholarly works in Elephant Journal, Perspectives in Genetic Counseling, and multiple academic journals.
Artwork: “Unfinished” by Jeanine Yacoub
Kodak Gold 200 35mm film