Kurdistan...

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Ok, so here's the thing..

It was about 2 months ago in the city of Liver. I was talking to one of my favourite prose lecturers, who shall remain nameless. – Oh fuck it, what's the point of telling a story and leaving out all the juicy bits; his name is Gareth Creer and he is a very good crime writer. His latest book is entitled Big Sky - I aint read it yet, but I will do one day. So, we were talking and I was saying aint it a blast to Google yourself. Suddenly his face dropped and he looked at me as if I was a pork chop in a bar mitzvah. He then proceeded to look over both his shoulders; presumably to be sure no academics were listening. Then said in hushed tones and through the side of his mouth, "A word of advice, I wouldn't go around telling people you Google yourself...It's not cool." I was ever so slightly embarrassed by my Google faux pas, but responded immediately and instinctively with: "But I do thou!" - My point being...but I do thou!

Anyway, I recently Googled myself again - in the way that very uncool people do. And in amongst the usual handful of diatribes on my literary endeavours, I noticed that one of my compositions (Seasoned Lines) had made it into The Kurdish Globe; the by-line quote reads 'The first and only English newspaper paper in Erbil' and 'From the Heart of the Kurdistan Region.' I know it's not the Guardian or the New Yorker, but I was ecstatic and here's why: 

In the winter of 2006, The Kurdish Globe 'The first and only English newspaper in Erbil' & 'From the Heart of the Kurdistan Region' was the first newspaper that ever published me! Furthermore, the region is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Neka, Iran - the hometown of one of my favourite orators Atefah Sahaaleh.

God love Kurdistan and all those who sail in her, but just for the record, the word 'a' at the end of the second line in the third stanza is a misprint. There is no 'a' in the original. The 'a' totally destroys the structure. The poem is a formed piece called a Sestina. You have to end all the lines with the same six end-words that you chose in the first stanza and to a very strict pattern. What's more, the last stanza (the envoi) has to have two words from the six end-words in the first stanza, per each of its three lines. And on top of all of that, the whole muffa fucka has to convey poetic truth and moreover make frikin sense.

Now, I'm not pissed-off at the Kurdish Globe. I think between us we exemplify a very good point: Words can never truly be domesticated, and neither can the truth.

But then again what would I know, I'm the kind of dumb kop that writes poetry, Googles herself and dreams of going to Kurdistan.

Happy 2007,
-Cheyelle

Mission Statement 

I am Dyslexic; I can't spell for shit. Plus my punctuation is pretty ropey. I also think washing is overrated - once a week was fine at school, what changed? What's more, I kinda like Americans; in my experience they are nothing like George Double-U Bush (UU = Unmitigated Underachiever). In addition, I don't think hanging people is ever acceptable and finally, and this is a big one so judge me if you want to: I like the Star Wars prequels, as much, if not more than the 3 originals.

Oh yeah, and one more thing...

Iran Focus web site reported that on August 15th 2004, Atefah Sahaaleh, a 16-year-old girl in the town of Neka, northern Iran, was hanged in public. Judiciary chief Haji Rezai approved the hanging. The religious judge, who personally put the noose around Atefah's neck, said brazenly that her punishment was not execution, but he had her executed for her "sharp tongue." - Source: Iran va Jahan.

…I Google her too.
link…

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