Easel

A simulacrum
of a peony dances
over rice paper

Sigh

Bamboo shoots shiver
as a gust of wind flutters
leaves pray in silence

Lotus Prayer

Two open hands join
thumbs in a kiss, fingers bend
the arc of their palms

Plum Blossom

Each petal slowly
covers knotted black branches
with butterfly’s wings

Chrysanthemum

Never two alike
infinite blades endure
grace the twisted hedge

Loquat

We hang in clusters
soft-shaded washed-out colors
speak through blank spaces

Rose

Oval silken shapes
tightly wrap around themselves
sepals’ edges darken

Hedy Habra

is a poet, artist, and essayist. She is the author of three poetry collections from Press 53: most recently, The Taste of the Earth (2019), Winner of the Silver Nautilus Book Award and Honorable Mention for the Eric Hoffer Book Award; Tea in Heliopolis, Winner of the Best Book Award; and Under Brushstrokes, which was a Finalist for the Best Book Award and the International Book Award. Her story collection, Flying Carpets, won the Arab American Book Award’s Honorable Mention and was a Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award. A nominee 16 times for the Pushcart Prize and five for Best of the Net, and a recipient of the Nazim Hikmet Award, her multilingual work appears in numerous journals and anthologies.

Author’s website: https://www.hedyhabra.com/