The Sword Lady: Fiercely Feminine

The Sword Lady: Fiercely Feminine

Ibn Muqla drew the first line
And it was just as it should be—
Like any Arab sword,
Like a towering palm in his homeland’s oasis,
Like all the women of this pure land—
Standing tall,
Her head lifted above the sky,
Never accepting anything less than the highest

My beloved, your path is long.
All will vanish in the darkness of night,
And you will go on working alone.
I seem to see your provisions are few—
Let your soul’s beauty be your nourishment.
Work without weariness, with gentle patience.
Carve through the desert in the black night.
Be as you were since the dawn of creation:
Feeding all,
Blessing the universe with your kindness.
Be as you are, O my homeland—
Like any woman from this sacred earth:
A human beyond imagination

Painting (2018), acrylic and sand on canvas, 122 × 91 cm, by Hussain Ibn Ahmed.

Poem (2018), Al-Alif (The First Letter of the Arabic Alphabet), by Hussain Ibn Ahmed.