YourBlueandtheQuietLamentrecordsthetexturesofgriefafteracousin’smurderatthehandsoftheSyrianstatereachesthepoetthroughalong-distancephonecall.Thepoemstraceanarrativeofarrest,imprisonment,andtortureinSyriaandinterweavethedifficultiesafamilyexperiencesinthediaspora.ShiftingbetweenthedeathofpoetFedericoGarc穩aLorcaandthatofhercousin,Lubna’spoetrycontendswithpersonallossbydistancingthemeaningofonedeaththroughtheintermediaryofanother.Yetthedistortionofdistanceisalreadythere--inthelanguage,inthegeographicspace,intime,inthegriefitself--tingedwithblue.Assherecallschildhoodmemoriesandimaginesconversationswithherdeadcousin,Lubna’spoetrywhispers,callsout,sings,laments,pensletters,photographs,sketches,paints,andpraysinanattempttoexhaustgrief.
