Segovia

Segovia

Wael Almahdi

Beneath the aqueduct that Rome bequeathed
Which bore the crescent moon and now a cross
And streams of life conducted from its arc
There wept the dulcet notes of organ pipes
Released by hands tattooed and thinned by work
And choice. And I, the ummah’s traveling son
Although of foreign mind and stranger’s soul
Was deeply touched that golden noon amidst
The lapping waves of layered vox humana
Whereas the children of the priest, unswayed,
Declared they knew the father at his worst.

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Wael Almahdi
Poet

Wael is a poet from Bahrain and the winner of a High Commendation from the Stephen Spender Poetry Translation Prize (2023). His Arabic translations include work by Lewis Carrol (‘Jabberwocky’), Carl Jung, the National Poet of Wales, and Won Buddhism’s centennial scriptures. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Snakeskin Magazine, Copihue, The Knight Letter, ArabLit Magazine, The Raven’s Perch, Blue Minaret, and Ravi Magazine.

Photography by Pablo Ramos