Sing About Pain and Life

Sukoon is an Arab-themed, English language, online literary magazine reflecting the diversity and richness of the Arab world. In her editor’s note in the most recent issue, Rewa Zeinati writes:

Has anything changed in the Arab world since the last issue of Sukoon? Yes. Things have changed. They’ve become more horrific, more complicated. Mind numbing. More and more people from all faiths have been forced from their homes, displaced; more beheadings and destruction and ruin. A new war is switched on. And the most important one of all, shelved. Postponed. Forgotten.

But this issue is not about war, or shelves, or forgetfulness. This issue, like every issue is about finding the beauty and showing it. Finding the love and singing it. Which is why I decided a beautiful art piece by Palestinian artist Ali Shawwa, of Umm Kulthum, the world’s most famous Egyptian singer, works best as a cover page. To indicate and remind us of song, because how else do we survive, through wars and shelves and forgetfulness? To sing about love and loss, but to sing about love. To sing about pain and life, but to sing about life. To simply sing. And sing and sing, as poetry and story and art. Through slaying and insanity and devastation And to continue singing, long after the lights go out and the guns disappear.