"around the table: a poem" by Mallory Slucher

from one plate we all share  

snapshots captured throughout the day 

our food, our thoughts, our memories 

around the table we struggle and laugh  

as language barriers slowly become 

open apertures between us 

each meal blurs the lens between us 

as once strangers become family  

savoring every moment  

in the quick shutter of this season 

each bite making it harder 

to think about saying goodbye 

Mallory is participant from the University of Louisville in Kentucky studying on Amideast’s Area and Arabic Language Studies Program in Rabat, Morocco.