It made my heart sing (and lent my words wings) to read alongside this lively dancer and these sensitive musicians (we did not rehearse by the way; it just happened). The Spirit of Egypt moved through the music of Insijam (إنسجام), as well as the body of Ouranitsa, the dancer. It was serious fun and an evening to cherish, for sure. I don't blame the audience if they did not pay too much attention to my poetry--although they must have paid, at least, a little, since my books sold well, afterwards :)
Being someone who is nervous to take the stage, I admit that it soothed my nerves to be accompanied by these sympathetic performers. In fact, at one point, I was just a hairline away from getting up & dancing myself, so infectious was the dancer's delight :)
Below, is a short poem to Egypt:
You are the deep fissure in my sleep,
that hard reality underneath
a stack of soft-cushioning illusions.
Self-exiled, even after all these years
I remain your ever-adoring captive
I register as inner tremors
– across oceans and continents –
the flap of your giant wing, struggling
to be free and know I shall not rest until
your glorious metamorphosis is complete.
—Yahia Lababidi
And, here's a peek of Yours Truly at the Mic: