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I write poetry in Arabic and never wrote in English before, but I wanted my brothers story to reach the world, so I wrote an English piece in his memory.
Preface
On December 22nd, 2023, I lost my dear brother and childhood friend Abdelaal, a brilliant biostatistician who was the Director of the National Institute of Statistics and Population Studies in #Sudan. He was shot and killed at our family home in Wad Medani during the #SudanWar
The Breeze
(In memory of my brother Abdelaal Abdellatif Fadul)
I held you close and tight
But you kept on slipping away
Merging into the sunlight
A soft breeze in a tropical night
That's how you lived
That's how you left
That’s what you left
Yet, you stayed close
To shower us with your kindness
In a world that turned into an empathy desert
I feel your breeze
Shielding us from the haboob
That sandstorm you loved
For it turned your hair brown
But it turned me blind
To that heavy weight you lifted
So you can keep our hearts light
You smiled and made it look perfect
In a world that was anything but right
Believe it or not
I still see those memories
Of us digging a hole in the wall
Looking for our invisible friends
The one that came on Wednesdays
And the other that left on Fridays
A tape of memories keeps running
In front of my eyes
Yet I could not keep you from rising into the skies
And back down into my deep heart
Like someone who is gone
But never really left
I once read “grief is my only way of keeping you close”
I could not keep you here but,
My heart will always sing your favorite songs
My eyes will always see your favorite colors
My hand will always give your favorite gifts
My days will always begin with a vision of your smile
And my seasons will always end with your breeze on my face…
Your sister:
Nada Abdellatif Fadul
Omaha, Nebraska
18th of January, 2024
Acknowledgment to my sis @DrJRMarcelin for reviewing it and for my work colleagues, friends, and everyone for being there for me 💜💜🙏🏽🙏🏽
Preface
On December 22nd, 2023, I lost my dear brother and childhood friend Abdelaal, a brilliant biostatistician who was the Director of the National Institute of Statistics and Population Studies in #Sudan. He was shot and killed at our family home in Wad Medani during the #SudanWar
The Breeze
(In memory of my brother Abdelaal Abdellatif Fadul)
I held you close and tight
But you kept on slipping away
Merging into the sunlight
A soft breeze in a tropical night
That's how you lived
That's how you left
That’s what you left
Yet, you stayed close
To shower us with your kindness
In a world that turned into an empathy desert
I feel your breeze
Shielding us from the haboob
That sandstorm you loved
For it turned your hair brown
But it turned me blind
To that heavy weight you lifted
So you can keep our hearts light
You smiled and made it look perfect
In a world that was anything but right
Believe it or not
I still see those memories
Of us digging a hole in the wall
Looking for our invisible friends
The one that came on Wednesdays
And the other that left on Fridays
A tape of memories keeps running
In front of my eyes
Yet I could not keep you from rising into the skies
And back down into my deep heart
Like someone who is gone
But never really left
I once read “grief is my only way of keeping you close”
I could not keep you here but,
My heart will always sing your favorite songs
My eyes will always see your favorite colors
My hand will always give your favorite gifts
My days will always begin with a vision of your smile
And my seasons will always end with your breeze on my face…
Your sister:
Nada Abdellatif Fadul
Omaha, Nebraska
18th of January, 2024
Acknowledgment to my sis @DrJRMarcelin for reviewing it and for my work colleagues, friends, and everyone for being there for me 💜💜🙏🏽🙏🏽
