A Poem by Ali Znaidi

Morning Serenade

A red rose wakes up,

lazy in its bed/bud,

washed by dew drops—

constellations

of crystal white bubbles.

Sun’s lights gradually perforate

its soft skin.

The white bubbles

evaporate in the air

to the rhythm of the red singing

kettle

in the kitchen.

Warm breath of coffee

mingles

with the sweet scents of the rose

on the red saucer.

Darling, are you here?

I want to serve you this morning.

Ali Znaidi lives in Redeyef, Tunisia. He graduated with a BA in Anglo-American Studies in 2002. He teaches English at Tunisian public secondary schools. He writes poetry and has an interest in literature, languages, and literary translations. His work has appeared in The Bamboo Forest, The Camel Saloon, phantom kangaroo, BoySlut, fortunates.org, Otoliths, Dead Snakes, Speech Therapy Poetry Zine, streetcake magazine, The Rusty Nail, Yes,Poetry, The South Townsville micro poetry journal, Shot Glass Journal, the fib review, Ink Sweat and Tears, and Mad Swirl, and is upcoming in other ezines. He also writes flash fiction for the Six Sentence Social Network—http://sixsentences.ning.com/profile/AliZnaidi.