Baker of Tarifa
by Shadab Zeest Hashmi
Cover by Azfar Najmi
Published by Poetic Matrix Press
68 pages, price $16.00
ISBN 978-0-9827343-4-6
Winner, 2011 San Diego Book Award
Description
The Book
"Al Andalus--a unique cultural convergence in human time where myth hovers the way moths are drawn to lampshine, and in her luminous, spare language, Shadab Zeest Hashmi catches its essence: attar of memory, the perfume of peace, sweet rising dough of dailiness; at the end, smoke rising, the reek of war, useless keys, exile, sorrow distilled and deepened by the presence--in these deeply felt, lovely poems--of what feels newly lost"--Eleanor Wilner.
Shadab Zeest Hashmi
Shadab Zeest Hashmi has an MFA from Warren Wilson. She graduated from Reed College in 1995. She has been on the editorial board of The Poetry Conspiracy. She has also been the editor of the annual Magee Park Poet's Anthology since 2000. Originally from Pakistan, she lives in San Diego, California.
Reviews/Blogs
From Baker of Tarifa:
| Baker of Tarifa | Montage |
|---|---|
|
Coals left over from breakfast
will be enough You'll need a cup of crushed almonds (pistachios cost more than a bottle of Syrian perfume these days so do without) brown sugar and plenty of butter Also an eye-cup of rosewater for the filling Muqawwara means arena Cut the bread neatly in that shape Take care the dough has been softened with fresh milk Sing what your mother sang while you fry the bread |
The Andalusian
is known for sensitivity and intelligence. A Christian Chronicler writes of Muslims: "The handsomest among them was as black as the cooking pot." Adafina is a cooking pot used by Jews. It is buried in embers on Friday night. The meal is ready the next day. On Friday Muslims are advised to take the long way home after prayer so they can greet neighbors. Christians must love their neighbor as themselves. Adafina comes from "dufn" or "buried" in Arabic. The Andalusian is often drawn with black pigment. Arabic is a Semitic language. Burnt bones were used to make black. The Andalusian is mostly gray and rarely has a pearl, buckskin or chestnut coat. The highest commandment For Jews, Muslims and Christians: Love God with all your heart, soul And mind. The Andalusian is prized as a war horse. |