Creative Writing

The 2020 edition of the #communitypoems and #UCQpoetrycontest has gone beyond our UCQ community into the community of Qatar as well. 

This is very exciting for us, so we have created a special section for the poems submitted from the community outside of UCQ. While these poems will not be entered in the poetry contest, they do deserve their own place of recognition.

In the words of Miss Boshra Rasti-Ghalati, our community poet, “winning a contest isn’t as important as bringing some beauty into the world at the moment.” We couldn’t agree more and thank you!

We hope this will be the first of many more community poems to come in the future.

I am Endurance
tan lines, salt and sand,
i've arrived
i've tamed lions
i've held my head high above perturbed water
i've risen from the red womb of mountains
up and down, up and down
i've walked dehydrated passed mobs of supporters
offering water and sponge and ice to my fevered face
my stomach twisting with parasites, protozoa, and past pain
it is not just muscle memory i speak of,
but the epigenetics of my race, marathoners running from Roman demigods, mother's mouths filled with the realization of almost- victories.
When i passed you and you kissed me while the onlookers yelled:
"some people dream of this and your doing it"
how could i have not sobbed on such a beautiful mouth?

                                                                       - Boshra Rasti-Ghalati