Sheema Kalbasi

Nothing

Nothing is all I am

Nothing overloading nothing

Closing the doors,

Opening an extra into an empty space,

Nothing ensues but a further war.

The bombs, lights that blind and Damascus,

Burning after Tehran. Sisters calling in despair,

Brothers callous the arms of infidels. Nothing happens

But children die, and journalists are filming for a deadline.

Nothing comes after nothing but I,

Kneel, cry for nothing,

and still the no shepherd birds burn at flight.

Nothing happens. I walk by the Central Park

Next to nothing, and the no flight zone is

Just nothing yet throat slides over throat,

Bullets shut and blood drops. Here nothing happens

But I write to keep nothing from overloading nothing.

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Sheema Kalbasi has been writing poetry, translating, directing international literary projects, and editing for American literary magazines such as MAG (muse-apprentice-guild) for several years. Her poetry has featured in numerous anthologies, magazines, and journals, as well as e-zine and been presented in classrooms around the world. She is one of the two founding members of The Other voices International project with more than three hundred poets from around the world. She is also the creator of horizontal/Vertical, a new style in poetry. In addition she has worked for the United Nations in Pakistan, and in Denmark. She is married and lives in Connecticut with her husband and their daughter.