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I wrote this draft back in November 2010. I welcome any additions to this raw piece.   They were in for a shock. All of them. Not just the Kuwaitis with the starched white qutras that crowned their male heads. Not just the Kuwaiti ladies with thei…

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Just before dawn, I found myself half-awake, emerging into consciousness with the gradually brightening sky beyond the thick wooden slats. Outside my open windows, the breeze blew the melodious chorus of birds singing joyfully at the break of a new day…

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Numerous reasons, mentionable, and some not so suitable to disclose. The taste of Tabasco on the tip of my tongue. I salivate. Like when I think of the way you slipped in last night through the dark curtains and upfront, arrived at my bed side, pinchin…

When Manal came to me, I felt released from my figurative restrictions. Quietly, she took my hand and led me out of my office and down to her car. My heart fluttered with a combination of anticipation and joy.   I could feel it singing at the sight of…

roses are not red but deep purple, soft velvet black and midnight blue. in my garden. butterflies with white headscarves flutter about not ready to reveal their true colours. yet. I saw you in a dream my little big cat. why did your paws drop off until…

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

I slipped into my hotel room after the long morning meetings to freshen up before lunch only to  find her semi-naked, balancing her body between the armchair and the coffee table and rolling a ball along her abdomen up to her smooth pubic bone and bac…

I slip into my bed – last night – and find myself tumbling into bed with you as you lie unabashedly naked, alone, in your hotel room, expecting, and unexpectant, but I am there – there by the coastal city where the scent of the sea saturates the dewy air, permeating the clothes you wore, [...]

…my Garden is slowly growing into that Dream Place where there are single swings hanging from solid trees; where I can sit and thrust myself up into January blue skies or through dusty realms of desert kingdoms in far off … Continue reading →

Crawl out of a bed that won’t let go; falling out sticky, sweating from love, and summer, and a special kind of comfort, like I’ve grown somehow since winter. Different seasons, people, feelings. A different me. It was hard at first but I let your…

“I came to Kuwait as a young girl of eighteen. I was just married. And then the Invasion happened in 1990 and we left back to Turkey. I was pregnant with my first child and had her in my hometown amongst my own family.
After the Liberation in 1991, we came back. My husband, who is [...]

He has a mac and he spies on me. Why I don’t know. I was trying to recall something today but it got lost in the rush of sound that comes with the early morning drone of traffic. So noisy all the time now. So noisy even through the fog of sleep.
I think his name [...]

Um Saoud did not place a “Wanted: Husband” ad.
She did not apply with a matchmaker who would supply her with the names of rickety old widowers or divorced men who would only want to control her.
And at sixty something, she was free to love and wealthy enough to secure it.
One afternoon in June, she headed [...]

Bothayna Al-Essa is a Kuwaiti writer with several books that have gained her critical acclaim.
In today’s issue of Al-Qabas daily newspaper, a selection of “Very short stories” by Bothayna Al-Essa were published. I chose one of them to translate and share with non-Arabic readers. I liked this vignette because the mother is portrayed as a [...]

You know what he looks like. His eyebrows are arched. It gives him a look of continual disdain. Nothing you can do will gain his approval. But his eyes gleam with satisfaction and he strokes his scraggly beard  triumphantly when he senses a potential scandal. He does all he can to warp the imagination of [...]

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

When I finally told Hamad, I felt a sense of great relief. A burden had been lifted from my shoulders. He stared at me in disbelief, shock written all over his face, his black eyes searching for explanations. I couldn’t give him any short ones. I  talked all night, into the dawn, and after the [...]

My father was prone to bouts of depression.
Our German housekeeper recommended scrubbing the bottoms of pots and pans clean.
He followed her advice.
I saw him thus many times, hunched over the kitchen sink, scrubbing the aluminum bases till they gleamed.
But that only gave him momentary respite from the dark whispers that never faded.
Posted in Fiction, Life, [...]

The children dash in to escape the merciless summer heat after the drive back from school, and I blink as I close the door and take a deep breath of the cool air.
I think about the films where the husband comes home and shouts out: “Honey, I’m home”.
I make mechanical moves to the study where [...]

The conversation was hushed in the room where the women gathered. It took me a few seconds to register that a hot topic was being discussed. I  listened in to the bits and pieces before asking ny usual  belated: “Who’s that?”
They had been gossiping about Alyaa. They probably would not  admit it was gossip but [...]

It was a quiet afternoon and the streets were practically empty. I drove into Nuzha and headed towards the Co-op to the restaurant where I could buy some biryani. I was craving rice and everyone at home was on a diet ( a diet of fast food burgers!)
In the restaurant, other men like me were [...]

Around 11 pm, we left the New Year’s party at the in-laws’ house. Mansour kept signaling for me to go to the designated meeting point in his parents’ house so that we could make an unnoticeable getaway to another party he said that was being hosted by some of his colleagues.
Nadia , my sister-in-law, winked [...]

“What’s wrong?” I shook her and got her back from where she was.“No, no! Nothing’s wrong. In fact, everything is incredibly right,” she was glowing.“Please talk. I am really getting worried,” I demanded.“I have to tell you the whole s…

I held the phone in my hand waiting for his reply, but instead, Fahad called.“Were you checking your email last night when we were talking?” he asked trying to hide a sneaking chuckle.“I was not!” I replied defensively, and then with a giggle, …