No, I Know the Bar is in Hell

By H. G.

You think you are a piece of shit.

That’s why you can’t understand
How important you were in my life, Habibi.

You’ll probably read my book,
dedicated to you
and be horrified.

All you had to do
was see me as a human,
treat me like a human
and you
were a revolutionary.

You changed the whole trajectory of my life
and will do the same
for every girl like me
from a bilad family
who reads how I lived you
how I wrote you.

Your legacy will be beautiful.

But yeah,
all the two-man
and pick-up line
and “Can I crack you both at the same time?” Instagram reels
that you like –
I’d think I was a piece of shit too,

sometimes.

Thank you
for changing my life.

You’re welcome
for writing you
and showing you
the hero you are.

May you live up to it.
But also
grow up.

 

H.G. is an American poet based in New York. She holds a MA in history and is currently working on her first novel-in-verse.