Cover image: Graffiti mural in Marseilles, photo by Pina Piccolo.
I
1
A Mama Night’s Vibe
A hush of tranquility,
of babies,
Sleeping soundly.
The fragrance of coffee,
a disarray of papers,
in a dim lamp’s glow,
the whole world-
assembles.
In a flash,
heavy feet,
floating thoughts,
dancing with the clouds
2
Pure Souls
Arrogant?
They call me!
Unsociable?
I exist apart, quietly distinct
Towering above-
idle gossip.
Pure souls suffocate
in spaces,
thick and dust
tainted air,
in echoes of despair.
Afraid of the epidemic,
I flee,
A soul takes flight,
its dignity-
It guards
3
Becoming
In the twilight of light and darkness,
a dim truth shimmer-
endlessly,
becoming.
Between stillness and motion,
I contemplate,
Along the ocean, Waves fold in diffraction,
I dwell in meditation.
Where reason meets madness,
truth quivers
Mind and heart,
Torn in two,
Eternally Shifting.
Truth dwells,
in a cosmic cycle-
Ever becoming
A Triptych of Oceanic Speculations
I
Breathing Turquoise
The sunlight hue kisses the ocean’s skin!
shifting shades of turquoise, cobalt & silver,
dressing its flesh.
cradling the earth in shifting tides,
boundless as thinking glides,
with echoes melting hedge.
Alas! Ocean! Thou hast Become a Man’s art!
Through vital force, we are tied!
from endless neural flows, spirit’s hush emerges;
from rhizomatic ebb and flow, oceanic immense arises!
archives unfurl our ancestors, as we go-
conserving weathered past in deep waters;
holding legacy in inner circuits.
roaming above reason!
Pregnant with in-depth Mysteries
of no foretold prophecies!
Enigmatic reveries,
of no prediction, born are decrees!
No omen has lifted its veil to be known.
II
Meeting Moana
Mar Pacífico!
They say you’re the king of oceans!
Thy complexion mirrors the calmness of my face,
My body melts in your salty scent,
Aching for more,
In a Long Beach Cruise –
with my amore.
Charming faces I’ve long felt,
Sending waves across tides and lands,
And, Stories of ocean Gods and Goddesses,
Of Hammerheads – Sea Turtles – Man o’ war,
Whales-Dolphines-California Sea Lions’
Shining Bioluminescent – rolling in the deep
Haunted by clouds of human wrath and echoes of Bombs,
Shadows of fire and fallout have dimmed the ancient songs,
Of Neptune’s chorus, Sirens’ sigh and Aqueous song
Honolulu trembles as Almighty forces roar,
the ocean shattering its own calm –
Unleashing chaos in return!
To thy Grace, Pacific Ocean, I Bow
As deep as Mariana Trench, and more
Wisdom, Only the Lord holds!
III
I Asked the Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea!
Graceful Charmy!
Mind Blowy!
Distance Racy!
Ocean’s icy,
How are the Earth’s Waters?
In a Breathing body, I Dwell
Mirrors of ice, whispering words of wisdom
Ocean’s midnight, sparkling lights!
flying fish, dancing in tandem.
Now, miles and miles await nurture!
Oft, taking wrath for eels or herrings!
Cruel winds!
Waves of wounds,
Blue borders shift with deep sigh.
Thick Wings of distress,
Of shrinking seas,
Of our pierced futures,
Lurking beneath!
Dr. Malika AFILAL is a Moroccan poet, professor of English, and researcher. She holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Studies in Literature (2012) and a Ph.D. in Environmental Humanities (2024) from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Ibn Zohr University in Morocco. Her academic work explores modernist fiction, poetry, and art through the lens of material ecocriticism, while her research interests weave together ecocriticism, philosophy, and posthumanism. Her poetry engages with philosophical and existential questions, often drawing inspiration from travel narratives, landscapes, and the intersections between the human and the more-than-human world. She is a member of the Moroccan Comparative Literature Association (MCLA) and TESOL International Association (USA).
