A Moment of Hope

About this book

Between the bustle of days, and the din of passersby in streets laden with tales, "A Moment of Hope" is born to reshape our breakdowns into the form of a poem. This collection is no mere pages of paper, but a mirror reflecting the faces we meet every morning; the face of the mother whose prayer hides the world's safety, the image of the father representing support in a tilted age, and the tales of strangers sharing with us the sidewalk of waiting in health-insurance queues or crowded bus windows. The poet Abou El-Naga Adel moves skillfully between personal concern and public pain, carrying us from the warmth of memories and old-book roses, to the cruelty of reality in Gaza and the silent aches of humanity. It is a book posing the hard questions: who are those who stayed beside you when hopes dried? And how does the word "pain" turn into "hope" with a single touch of will? Between its folds, you will find a voice resembling you, patting your shoulder when things get rough, and whispering in your ear that "the end is what matters." It is a blend of sarcastic zajal.