Qatar Poems - Sitting with my eLibrary

It's very different,
I'm not sure how it happened,
But here I am,
In my Leather Armchair
And my library is sitting on
the arm of my chair.

Not as impressive
as my physical library
Packed up half a world away
But here in Qatar
my book lust has to
be satisfied with my
Kindled iPad and me.

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Galoush for Stephanie

Life is fun and then we die
But on the way we share our
hopes, our aspirations
and our recipes.

Sitting in the cool of the afternoon
my daughter, Stephanie, peruses
her mothers recipe book.
A new family dish is invented,
The contents the same but the name has changed.

From now on we will eat
Hungarian galoushes
No pedestrian goulashes for us.
The galoosh, or galoush is a cunning dish
Renaming it will let it know
We are onto his devious ways..

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Qatar Poems - Leaving Friend

He sold the idea to me
Come to Qatar
Great place
Great people.

I left the green land
of Aotearoa
and came to Qatar
dry desert
with it's own charm.

Now he is going back
he has had enough
Leaving for Australia
Home of the kangaroo
wattle and gum tree.

Go well my friend
remember us
in our hour
of need.

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The Qatar Poems - an explanation

Poetry is a very evocative reminder of ones life and adventures. I use this poetry blog as an electronic poetic journal. During my three yesrs in the UK I wrote many poems (see blog posts from 2008-2011). Back in New Zealand I wrote a series of outlaw and experimental poems as well as some regional poetry describing the Waikato around Hamilton. I am now on contract in Qatar and I am writing a series of Qatar poems that I will publish when I leave.

Apart from a short stint in Thailand, Qatar is the place that has been the most culturally different from my upbringing in New Zealand. I found that working in the US, UK and Australia was very close to living in New Zealand, but Qatar has been a complete change and cultural challenge. The first 3 months were very strange but after 7 months I found myself feeling at home. My wife joined me after 6 months and she is still going through the I hate Qatar phase. She is a country girl and I have taken her from a farmlet in the country to the deserts and dryness of Qatar. The adjustment has been dislocating for her but I recognise the cycle she is going through.

I'm sure I will look through these poems in years to come and they will strengthen my memories of my time here.

As I learn more Arabic, I am feeling more at ease. You will know this has infiltrated my mind when Arabic phrases make their way into the poems.

Peace

Grant

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Qatar Poems - The Whanau Returns

From home they came
in the sky waka.
Wife and daughter
Back to the deserts
of lovely Qatar.

Leaving Aotearoa
with roimata,
Arriving in Doha
with roimata.
Tane whispered,
E whanau mā, haramai rā,
haramai.


Note: waka - canoe, Aotearoa - New Zealand, roimata - tears, E whanau ma, haramai ra, haramai - Family, Welcome, Welcome

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Qatar Poems - Winter End Blues

I never mourned
the passing of winter
in years gone past
but here in Middle Eastern climes
The cool respite
Is a welcome interlude
From the unrelenting sun
and heat.

So farewell my quarterly friend
I will remember you
as the mercury rises
and the sweat drops
in the country of
the Desert bloom.

Note: I moved to Qatar in 2013 and survived my first Summer. I thought I would never be cold again and the heat in mid summer was relentless. You can hardly walk 10 steps without becoming drenched in sweat. The last 3 months have been very pleasant but as we enter Spring the temperatures are slowly rising, but I now have a different kind of Winter appreciation.

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To Do List Found Poetry

This poem was constructed from taking every 3rd word from the To Do list found on my desk today. Enjoy.

Issues templates Physician
35 Action Medical
Next Issues running
What Owens April a Analysis.

Weeks forward Surgeon retreat
CCC State One SME Manoj
Hyperion of match a out a clinicians
HR program to access 210

Is it poetry, I think it is, but feel free to differ. Experimental poetry is fun.

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