{"product_id":"sukun-new-and-selected-poems-paperback","title":"Sukun: New and Selected Poems - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKazim Ali\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew and selected poems from celebrated poet Kazim Ali\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKazim Ali is a poet, novelist, and essayist whose work explores themes of identity, migration, and the intersections of cultural and spiritual traditions. His poetry is known for its lyrical and expressive language, as well as its exploration of themes such as love, loss, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world. \"Sukun\" means serenity or calm, and a sukun is also a form of punctuation in Arabic orthography that denotes a pause over a consonant. This Sukun draws a generous selection from Kazim's six previous full-length collections, and includes 35 new poems. It allows us to trace Ali's passions and concerns, and take the measure of his art: the close attention to the spiritual and the visceral, and the deep language play that is both musical and plain spoken.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[sample poem]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Fifth Planet\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCome, early summer in the mountains, and come, strawberry moon, \u003cbr\u003eand carry me softly in the silver canoe on wires to the summit, \u003cbr\u003ewhere in that way of late night useless talk, the bright dark asks me, \u003cbr\u003e\"What is the thing you are most afraid of?\" and I already know \u003cbr\u003ewhich lie I will tell.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere were six of us huddled there in the cold, leaning on the rocks\u003cbr\u003elingering in the dark where I do not like to linger, looking up at the\u003cbr\u003esharp round pinnacle of light discussing what shapes we saw--rabbit, \u003cbr\u003eman, goddess--but that brightness for me was haunted by no thing, \u003cbr\u003eno shadow at all in the lumens.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat am I, what am I, I kept throwing out to the hustling silence.\u003cbr\u003eNo light comes from the moon, he's just got good positioning \u003cbr\u003eand I suppose that's the answer, that's what I'm most afraid of, \u003cbr\u003ethat I'm a mirror, that I have no light of my own, that I hang in empty space\u003cbr\u003ein faithful orbit around a god or father\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eneither of Whom will ever see me whole. I keep squinting to try to see Jupiter\u003cbr\u003ewhich the newspaper said would be found near the moon but \u003cbr\u003eit's nowhere, they must have lied. Or like god, there is too much\u003cbr\u003ereflection, headsplitting and profane, scraping up every shadow, \u003cbr\u003etoo much light for anyone to see.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKAZIM ALI (San Diego, CA) was born in the United Kingdom and has lived transnationally in the United States, Canada, India, France, and the Middle East. His books encompass multiple genres, including poetry, essay, fiction, and cross-genre work. He is currently a professor at the University of California, San Diego.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 336\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.94 x 8.96 x 6.29 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 05, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42154803429511,"sku":"9780819500717","price":30.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/c4d14137cfea4400cd448462a5351c88.webp?v=1733231075","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/sukun-new-and-selected-poems-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}