issue 2
Koukash Review
2023
You became pregnant again.
A baby boy.
The doctors and doulas confirmed.
The superstitious pointed to your belly.
The way that it rounded completely.
Only a boy can round a belly like that.
You boarded a plane at 8 months.
To deliver on soil.
When the plane landed,
you rubbed your belly.
Told him that he was safe to come out.
That the world was ready for him.
He was the first child born in your lineage,
with a viable passport and rights in sixty years.
Nour Abuelreich
Nour is a Palestinian writer based in California. She writes about topics that explore immigration, refugees, and the Arab American identity and diaspora. Her poetry has been featured in Chapman’s Calliope literary magazine and nominated amongst the top ten at Ulysses Blog. Her nonfiction has been published in the medical humanities journal, The Linden Review.