Poetry – Roumani Line

My Ravaged Wound

Posted on April 1, 2016December 31, 2025 by Mani

Adapted from my 2016 bittersweet Arabic diary. Original Arabic version further below. Image by ROMAN ODINTSOV

Context

I wrote this text shortly after that night with Maya. She came into my bed, stripped down to her underwear, kissed me softly without crossing further, and fell asleep beside me. She let me hold her close, allowed me to touch her body, yet never allowed me to cross into full possession. She made me fall in love, then left in the morning — and never returned.

Continue reading →

Merchants of Damascus

Posted on August 27, 2013December 31, 2025 by Mani

From my 2013 Arabic diary, upon returning to Damascus from Jordan, rejecting the US-led intervention in Syria. Image by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz

DAMASCUS –

Mock if you must—
there’s no shame in mockery.
Rejoice.
Clink your glasses joyfully,
for tomorrow we will bury
another country.

Continue reading →

Notes in the Margin of Arab Defeat

Posted on March 17, 2011December 31, 2025 by Mani

Extracted from my 2005 & 2011 Arabic diary using AI. Original Arabic text below. Image by Pixabay

DAMASCUS –

B

In my country—
the land of hypocrites and fools—
we lie, we twist the truth by rules,
claim anything we choose.

Continue reading →

Confessions of a Free Woman in a Captive Homeland

Posted on February 17, 2011December 31, 2025 by Mani

Context & Author’s Note

This poem is written in the voice of absurd confession—a juridical parody spoken by a powerless teenager accused of crimes that only states and intelligence services commit. It reflects the psychological climate of Syria before the uprising: a society treated as guilty in advance, confessing to crimes it did not commit, awaiting punishment already decided. The violence here is not a call—it is a forecast.

Continue reading →