With the help of my dear long friend Robert Trakofler, my first mini poetry collection came alive, if anyone is interested the link is below with the Forward written by Robert.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7CKJDWQ
Foreword
By Robert Trakofler
“I have come across many poets, alive and dead, who have inspired me over the years. Indeed, so many sit hanging in my subconscious mind, coalescing into the collective collage that makes up my own voice. Some inspire me by their wit, others by their love of words. Some by their ability to transfer their thoughts in such a manner that it creates a direct connection into my own understanding, and others by their sheer defiance — finding beauty in the most horrific of circumstances.
I could go on for hours speaking about the impact of poetry on my heart and mind, as we writers have the terrible habit of doing.
Over the years, I have joined many forums of expression, and when I was first introduced to Ghounwah, it was on one such forum. Her poetry always struck me. From the many interactions I have had with her over the years, I learned that her name means “short beautiful song.” Upon hearing this, I immediately thought how remarkably apt that name was, as though it had carried within it some quiet foreknowledge of the poet she would become. I added that her poems were like songs of light, and from that point on, I always referred to her as Ghounwah Lightsong.
It should also be said that Arabic is Ghounwah’s native tongue, and English is not merely a second language in her work, but another vessel she fills with the music of her soul. In editing these poems, I had to maintain the delicate balance of upholding her voice while making sure her thoughts could be carried clearly to the reader. What may seem unusual in phrasing is often where the brilliance of her style resides — in the way one language reaches through another and arrives not diminished, but illuminated.
What I need to explain now, and she may not appreciate it, but it must be said for you to understand, is that Ghounwah is from Syria. She loves her country deeply, but it is war-torn and has been subject to hardships too numerous to begin to scratch the surface of in this foreword. What you really need to understand is her complete and utter strength in defiance of her situation. The beauty she writes about, the faith she has, the light that drips into her ink to the very marrow of her existence — all of it has been such an inspiration to me. On many occasions, it has made me feel a bit ashamed to even feel upset about my own petty tribulations when compared to hers.
As a poet and a writer of fiction, I have long accepted the anonymity of creative expression, because I, and most of us, do it out of sheer love of the craft. And as I have said before, many writers I have come across deserve to be known. Their voices need to be heard. Their addendums to the many voices that came before should not be lost.
So it is in that spirit that I took the journey to help make this compilation, her first chapbook.
I am by no means a professional editor. Donning this cap has never been an easy task for me. It requires a different thought process than that of a writer, and one I am not particularly suited for. But the urgency of this undertaking merits my motion. You must also understand that she lives under very real and precarious circumstances, and for this reason, I have been safeguarding many of her writings should they ever need to be carried forward.
This chapbook is not merely a collection of poems. It is a small preservation of light, faith, longing, country, memory, and soul. It is one poet’s song against silence.
And it is my honor to help place that song, at last, into your hands.”
* For Robert~
