The World Grows Blackthorn Walls

exc-609cd8dc5ce95c23534fd0b3

14 MAY 2021 • By Sholeh Wolpé


Painting by Kehinde Wiley,

Painting by Kehinde Wiley, “Mrs. Siddons” with a blackthorn background inspired by William Morris (courtesy artist Kehinde Wiley).

a poem by Sholeh Wolpé

 

Tall, stiff and spiny,
try to make it to the other side
and risk savage thorns.

We who left home in our teens, 
children who crossed boundaries and were torn
by its thousand serrated tongues, we
who bear scars that bloom and bloom
beneath healed skins, 
who have we become?                                                         

I ask myself:
is home my ghost?
Does it wear my underwear
folded neatly in the antique chest
of drawers I bought twenty years ago,
nest inside my blouse that hangs
from one metal hanger I’ve been meaning to discard?
Is it lost between these lines of books
shelved alphabetical in a language 
I was not born to? Or here on the lip
of this chipped cup left behind
by my lover long gone? 

I carry seeds in my mouth. Plant 
turmeric, cardamom, and tiny 
aromatic cucumbers in this garden. 
Water them with rain I wring
from my grandmother’s songs.  
They will grow, I know, against these blackthorn walls. 
They can push through anything, uncut. 

I left home at thirteen. 
I hadn’t lived enough to know how
not to love.  
Home was the Caspian Sea, the busy bazaars, 
the aroma of kebab and rice, Friday  
lunches, picnics by mountain streams. 
I never meant to stay away.   

They said come back
and you will die.   

Exile is a suitcase with a broken strap.
I fill up a hundred notebooks with scribbles,                                                                   
throw them into fire and begin to write again, 
this time tattooing the words on my forehead,
this time writing only not to forget.  

Complacency is communicable like the common cold.  
I swim upstream to lay my purple eggs.

They say draw sustenance from this land,
but look how my fruits hang in spirals
and smell of old notebooks and lace.  

What is a transplanted tree 
but a time being 
who has adapted to adoption?  

Spirits urge and spirits go,
but I speak only to the future. 
Perhaps it’s only in exile that spirits arrive.  
They weep and wail at the door of the temple 
where I sit at the edge of an abyss.  

But even this is an illusion. 

 

 From Abacus of Loss, forthcoming from the University of Arkansas Press, March 2022.

Sholeh Wolpé

Sholeh Wolpé Sholeh Wolpé—(Poetry Editor) Sholeh Wolpé is an Iranian-born poet, writer, and librettist. Her most recent books include a new translation of 12thcentury Sufi mystic poet Attar, The Invisible Sun (Harper Collins) and a memoir in verse, Abacus of Loss (Univ. of Arkansas Press). The... Read more

Sholeh Wolpé—(Poetry Editor) Sholeh Wolpé is an Iranian-born poet, writer, and librettist. Her most recent books include a new translation of 12thcentury Sufi mystic poet Attar, The Invisible Sun (Harper Collins) and a memoir in verse, Abacus of Loss (Univ. of Arkansas Press). The memoir is also available from Visor Libros in a bilingual edition. Sholeh’s literary work includes seven collections of poetry, several plays, five books of translations and three anthologies, as well as texts and librettos for choir and opera. Her translations of The Conference of the Birds (W.W. Norton, 2017) and of Forugh Farrokhzad, the rebel poet of Iran in Sin (Univ. of Arkansas Press) have garnered awards and established Wolpé as a celebrated re-creator of Iranian literature. Her opera, Nava Avaz, was a 2025 recipient of Opera America Discovery Award.  She has lived and studied in Iran, Trinidad, the UK and U.S. Presently she is the Writer-In-Residence at UCI and divides her time between California and Barcelona.  For more information about her work visit her website. You’ll also find her on FacebookYouTube and Instagram.

Read less

Join Our Community

TMR exists thanks to its readers and supporters. By sharing our stories and celebrating cultural pluralism, we aim to counter racism, xenophobia, and exclusion with knowledge, empathy, and artistic expression.

RELATED

Poetry

Pramila Venkateswaran presents Two Poems

4 JULY 2025 • By Pramila Venkateswaran
Pramila Venkateswaran presents Two Poems
Poetry

Nasser Rabah on Poetry and Gaza

4 JULY 2025 • By Nasser Rabah
Nasser Rabah on Poetry and Gaza
Editorial

For Our 50th Issue, Writers Reflect on Going Home

2 MAY 2025 • By TMR
For Our 50th Issue, Writers Reflect on Going Home
Poetry

Three Poems by Najwan Darwish

22 APRIL 2025 • By Najwan Darwish
Three Poems by Najwan Darwish
Poetry

A. Van Jordan presents “The Tailor” and “HEX”

22 APRIL 2025 • By A. Van Jordan
A. Van Jordan presents “The Tailor” and “HEX”
Book Reviews

An Immigrant in America: The Palace of Forty Pillars

18 APRIL 2025 • By Sean Casey
An Immigrant in America: <em>The Palace of Forty Pillars</em>
Book Reviews

Illustrating Intimacy: Zeina Abirached Remasters The Prophet

7 MARCH 2025 • By Katie Logan
Illustrating Intimacy: Zeina Abirached Remasters The Prophet
Poetry

Sonnet Mondal: Three Poems

21 FEBRUARY 2025 • By Sonnet Mondal
Sonnet Mondal: Three Poems
Arabic

Huda Fakhreddine & Yasmeen Hanoosh: Translating Arabic & Gaza

17 JANUARY 2025 • By Yasmeen Hanoosh, Huda Fakhreddine
Huda Fakhreddine & Yasmeen Hanoosh: Translating Arabic & Gaza
Book Reviews

Maya Abu Al-Hayyat’s Defiant Exploration of Palestinian Life

20 DECEMBER 2024 • By Zahra Hankir
Maya Abu Al-Hayyat’s Defiant Exploration of Palestinian Life
Poetry

Lena Khalaf Tuffaha: Two Poems

19 DECEMBER 2024 • By Lena Khalaf Tuffaha
Lena Khalaf Tuffaha: Two Poems
Poetry

Annahita Mahdavi West: Two Poems

19 DECEMBER 2024 • By Annahita Mahdavi West
Annahita Mahdavi West: Two Poems
Poetry

Darius Atefat-Peckham: Three Poems

19 DECEMBER 2024 • By Darius Atefat-Peckham
Darius Atefat-Peckham: Three Poems
Art & Photography

Palestine Features in Larissa Sansour’s Sci-Fi Future

6 DECEMBER 2024 • By Larissa Sansour
Palestine Features in Larissa Sansour’s Sci-Fi Future
Poetry

Olivia Elias presents Three Poems

24 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Olivia Elias, Kareem James Abu-Zeid
Olivia Elias presents Three Poems
Poetry

Waqas Khwaja—Two Poems from No One Waits for the Train

15 OCTOBER 2024 • By Waqas Khwaja
Waqas Khwaja—Two Poems from <em>No One Waits for the Train</em>
Books

“Kill the Music”—an excerpt from a new novel by Badar Salem

16 AUGUST 2024 • By Badar Salem
“Kill the Music”—an excerpt from a new novel by Badar Salem
Book Reviews

Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew by Avi Shlaim—a Review

19 JULY 2024 • By Selma Dabbagh
<em>Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew</em> by Avi Shlaim—a Review
Theatre

The Return of Danton—a Play by Mudar Alhaggi & Collective Ma’louba

7 JUNE 2024 • By Mudar Alhaggi
<em>The Return of Danton</em>—a Play by Mudar Alhaggi & Collective Ma’louba
Books

A Bicentennial Remembrance of Lord Byron, Among Greeks & Turks

7 JUNE 2024 • By William Gourlay
A Bicentennial Remembrance of Lord Byron, Among Greeks & Turks
Poetry

Sahar Muradi presents two poems from OCTOBERS

8 MAY 2024 • By Sahar Muradi
Sahar Muradi presents two poems from <em>OCTOBERS</em>
Essays

Sargon Boulus Revisited: Encomium to an Assyrian Poet

3 MAY 2024 • By Youssef Rakha
Sargon Boulus Revisited: Encomium to an Assyrian Poet
Book Reviews

Arthur Kayzakian’s Stolen Painting and The Nameless Father

4 FEBRUARY 2024 • By Sean Casey
Arthur Kayzakian’s Stolen Painting and The Nameless Father
Poetry

Four Poems by Alaa Hassanien from The Love That Doubles Loneliness

4 FEBRUARY 2024 • By Alaa Hassanien, Salma Moustafa Khalil
Four Poems by Alaa Hassanien from <em>The Love That Doubles Loneliness</em>
Fiction

“Kabul’s Haikus”—fiction from Maryam Mahjoba

3 DECEMBER 2023 • By Maryam Mahjoba, Zubair Popalzai
“Kabul’s Haikus”—fiction from Maryam Mahjoba
Art

Hanan Eshaq

3 DECEMBER 2023 • By Hanan Eshaq
Hanan Eshaq
Book Reviews

What We Write About When We (Arabs) Write About Love

23 OCTOBER 2023 • By Eman Quotah
What We Write About When We (Arabs) Write About Love
Poetry

Albanian Poet Luljeta Lleshanaku

11 OCTOBER 2023 • By Luljeta Lleshanaku
Albanian Poet Luljeta Lleshanaku
Books

Edward Said: Writing in the Service of Life 

9 OCTOBER 2023 • By Layla AlAmmar
Edward Said: Writing in the Service of Life 
Theatre

Hartaqât: Heresies of a World with Policed Borders

9 OCTOBER 2023 • By Nada Ghosn
<em>Hartaqât</em>: Heresies of a World with Policed Borders
Books

The Contemporary Literary Scene in Iran

1 OCTOBER 2023 • By Salar Abdoh
The Contemporary Literary Scene in Iran
Poetry

Allen C. Jones—Two Poems from Son of a Cult

12 SEPTEMBER 2023 • By Allen C Jones
Allen C. Jones—Two Poems from <em>Son of a Cult</em>
Poetry

Two Poems, Practicing Absence & At the Airport—Sholeh Wolpé

3 SEPTEMBER 2023 • By Sholeh Wolpé
Two Poems, Practicing Absence & At the Airport—Sholeh Wolpé
Columns

Open Letter: On Being Palestinian and Publishing Poetry in the US

21 AUGUST 2023 • By Ahmad Almallah
Open Letter: On Being Palestinian and Publishing Poetry in the US
Poetry

Three Poems from Pantea Amin Tofangchi’s Glazed With War

3 AUGUST 2023 • By Pantea Amin Tofangchi
Three Poems from Pantea Amin Tofangchi’s <em>Glazed With War</em>
Poetry

Sudeep Sen

4 JULY 2023 • By Sudeep Sen
Sudeep Sen
Essays

“My Mother is a Tree”—a story by Aliyeh Ataei

2 JULY 2023 • By Aliyeh Ataei, Siavash Saadlou
“My Mother is a Tree”—a story by Aliyeh Ataei
Art & Photography

Deniz Goran’s New Novel Contrasts Art and the Gezi Park Protests

19 JUNE 2023 • By Arie Amaya-Akkermans
Deniz Goran’s New Novel Contrasts Art and the Gezi Park Protests
Essays

An Island Without a Sea: Bahrain Odyssey

4 JUNE 2023 • By Ali Al-Jamri
An Island Without a Sea: Bahrain Odyssey
Poetry Markaz

Zara Houshmand, Moon and Sun

4 JUNE 2023 • By Zara Houshmand
Zara Houshmand, <em>Moon and Sun</em>
Cities

Coming of Age in a Revolution

5 MARCH 2023 • By Lushik Lotus Lee
Coming of Age in a Revolution
Poetry

Three Poems by Tishani Doshi

15 DECEMBER 2022 • By Tishani Doshi
Three Poems by Tishani Doshi
Art

Museums in Exile—MO.CO’s show for Chile, Sarajevo & Palestine

12 DECEMBER 2022 • By Jordan Elgrably
Museums in Exile—MO.CO’s show for Chile, Sarajevo & Palestine
Poetry

Two Poems from Quebec’s Nicole Brossard

15 NOVEMBER 2022 • By TMR, Sholeh Wolpé
Two Poems from Quebec’s Nicole Brossard
Poetry

Faces Hidden in the Dust by Ghalib—Two Ghazals

16 OCTOBER 2022 • By Tony Barnstone, Bilal Shaw
<em>Faces Hidden in the Dust by Ghalib</em>—Two Ghazals
Centerpiece

“What Are You Doing in Berlin?”—a short story by Ahmed Awny

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Ahmed Awny, Rana Asfour
“What Are You Doing in Berlin?”—a short story by Ahmed Awny
Essays

Exile, Music, Hope & Nostalgia Among Berlin’s Arab Immigrants

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Diana Abbani
Exile, Music, Hope & Nostalgia Among Berlin’s Arab Immigrants
Book Reviews

After Marriage, Single Arab American Woman Looks for Love

5 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Eman Quotah
After Marriage, Single Arab American Woman Looks for Love
Columns

Who is Poet-Translator Mbarek Sryfi?

8 AUGUST 2022 • By Jordan Elgrably
Who is Poet-Translator Mbarek Sryfi?
Poetry

Poem for Tunisia: “Court of Nothing”

1 AUGUST 2022 • By Farah Abdessamad
Poem for Tunisia: “Court of Nothing”
Art

Abundant Middle Eastern Talent at the ’22 Avignon Theatre Fest

18 JULY 2022 • By Nada Ghosn
Abundant Middle Eastern Talent at the ’22 Avignon Theatre Fest
Book Reviews

Poetry as a Form of Madness—Review of a Friendship

15 JULY 2022 • By Youssef Rakha
Poetry as a Form of Madness—Review of a Friendship
Book Reviews

Poems of Palestinian Motherhood, Loss, Desire and Hope

4 JULY 2022 • By Eman Quotah
Poems of Palestinian Motherhood, Loss, Desire and Hope
Book Reviews

Leaving One’s Country in Mai Al-Nakib’s “An Unlasting Home”

27 JUNE 2022 • By Rana Asfour
Leaving One’s Country in Mai Al-Nakib’s “An Unlasting Home”
Music

Roxana Vilk’s Personal History of Iranian Music

20 JUNE 2022 • By Melissa Chemam
Roxana Vilk’s Personal History of Iranian Music
Fiction

“The Salamander”—fiction from Sarah AlKahly-Mills

15 JUNE 2022 • By Sarah AlKahly-Mills
“The Salamander”—fiction from Sarah AlKahly-Mills
Book Reviews

Fragmented Love in Alison Glick’s “The Other End of the Sea”

16 MAY 2022 • By Nora Lester Murad
Fragmented Love in Alison Glick’s “The Other End of the Sea”
Featured excerpt

Arguments Toward a Universal Palestinian Identity

11 MAY 2022 • By Maurice Ebileeni
Arguments Toward a Universal Palestinian Identity
Book Reviews

Egyptian Comedic Novel Captures Dark Tale of Bedouin Migrants

18 APRIL 2022 • By Saliha Haddad
Egyptian Comedic Novel Captures Dark Tale of Bedouin Migrants
Columns

Torsheedeh: The Significance of Being a Sour Iranian Woman

15 APRIL 2022 • By Parisa Parnian
Torsheedeh: The Significance of Being a Sour Iranian Woman
Essays

Zajal — the Darija Poets of Morocco

11 APRIL 2022 • By Deborah Kapchan
Zajal — the Darija Poets of Morocco
Columns

Nowruz and The Sins of the New Day

21 MARCH 2022 • By Maha Tourbah
Nowruz and The Sins of the New Day
Essays

“Gluttony” from Abbas Beydoun’s “Frankenstein’s Mirrors”

15 MARCH 2022 • By Abbas Baydoun, Lily Sadowsky
“Gluttony” from Abbas Beydoun’s “Frankenstein’s Mirrors”
Poetry

Three Poems of Love and Desire by Nouri Al-Jarrah

15 MARCH 2022 • By Nouri Al-Jarrah
Three Poems of Love and Desire by Nouri Al-Jarrah
Book Reviews

The Art of Remembrance in Abacus of Loss

15 MARCH 2022 • By Sherine Elbanhawy
The Art of Remembrance in <em>Abacus of Loss</em>
Latest Reviews

Two Poems by Sophia Armen

15 FEBRUARY 2022 • By Sophia Armen
Two Poems by Sophia Armen
Latest Reviews

L.A. Story: Poems from Laila Halaby

15 FEBRUARY 2022 • By Laila Halaby
L.A. Story: Poems from Laila Halaby
Art

Farzad Kohan: Love, Migration, Identity

15 FEBRUARY 2022 • By Farzad Kohan
Farzad Kohan: Love, Migration, Identity
Essays

Taming the Immigrant: Musings of a Writer in Exile

15 JANUARY 2022 • By Ahmed Naji, Rana Asfour
Taming the Immigrant: Musings of a Writer in Exile
Editorial

Refuge, or the Inherent Dignity of Every Human Being

15 JANUARY 2022 • By Jordan Elgrably
Refuge, or the Inherent Dignity of Every Human Being
Book Reviews

Meditations on The Ungrateful Refugee

15 JANUARY 2022 • By Rana Asfour
Meditations on <em>The Ungrateful Refugee</em>
Art

Etel Adnan’s Sun and Sea: In Remembrance

19 NOVEMBER 2021 • By Arie Amaya-Akkermans
Etel Adnan’s Sun and Sea: In Remembrance
Latest Reviews

Poem: An Allegory for Our Times

15 NOVEMBER 2021 • By Jenny Pollak
Poem: An Allegory for Our Times
Weekly

Heba Hayek’s Gaza Memories

1 AUGUST 2021 • By Shereen Malherbe
Heba Hayek’s Gaza Memories
Weekly

World Picks: May – June 2021

16 MAY 2021 • By Lawrence Joffe
World Picks: May – June 2021
Latest Reviews

The World Grows Blackthorn Walls

14 MAY 2021 • By Sholeh Wolpé
The World Grows Blackthorn Walls
Weekly

World Picks: April – May 2021

18 APRIL 2021 • By Malu Halasa
World Picks: April – May 2021
Weekly

“I Advance in Defeat”, the Poems of Najwan Darwish

28 MARCH 2021 • By Patrick James Dunagan
“I Advance in Defeat”, the Poems of Najwan Darwish
TMR 7 • Truth?

Poetry Against the State

14 MARCH 2021 • By Gil Anidjar
Poetry Against the State
TMR 4 • Small & Indie Presses

Freedom is femininity: Faraj Bayrakdar

14 DECEMBER 2020 • By Faraj Bayrakdar
Freedom is femininity: Faraj Bayrakdar
Weekly

To Be or Not to Be, That is Not the Question

12 DECEMBER 2020 • By Niloufar Talebi
To Be or Not to Be, That is Not the Question
Book Reviews

Are Iranians—Restricted by the Trump Era Muslim-Country Ban—White?

15 NOVEMBER 2020 • By Rebecca Allamey
Are Iranians—Restricted by the Trump Era Muslim-Country Ban—White?
What We're Into

Dismantlings and Exile

14 SEPTEMBER 2020 • By Francisco Letelier
Dismantlings and Exile
Book Reviews

Poetic Exploration of Illness Conveys Trauma

14 SEPTEMBER 2020 • By India Hixon Radfar
Poetic Exploration of Illness Conveys Trauma
Columns

Why Non-Arabs Should Read Hisham Matar’s “The Return”

3 AUGUST 2017 • By Jordan Elgrably
Why Non-Arabs Should Read Hisham Matar’s “The Return”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

16 + 11 =

Scroll to Top