Poems by Rabab N. Hammoud

I aligned my perception on that day.

I was a newlywed with to much on my plate.

I wasn't speeding or turned away.

I only wish it wasn't me behind the wheel, on that clear autumn day..

I was aquatinted with my biggest fear and I was the perpetrate.

A tragedy I couldn't obviate.
When my bumper hit the soul of Gerilee Blake.

Taking her life like it was mandate.

They all told me not to cry, that it was fate.

What none of them understood was, what my eyes saw on that day..

How In an instant, my heart would eternally break.

What they perceived as an accident.

I couldn't help but to take some blame.

Subconsciously, punishing myself, I drove everyone away.

Including my companion that took my forever and swayed.


I became secluded and my life felt delayed.

I wrecked what I took all my youth to build, on that day..

Rest in peace Gerilee Blake. I am sorry everyday.

What exactly is happiness?

Is it a quirk of human nature that leads us to believe the grass is greener elsewhere, only to find it's not?

Humanity seems to be caught in a cycle of yearning, attempting to fill a mysterious void it can't quite define.

Perhaps happiness, much like sadness, is fleeting. It sweeps over us and then moves on, often leaving us with only a blurred memory of its presence.