Author: 7ala Abdullah

Hala Abdullah is a poet and a feminist from Saudi Arabia. She has founded and is currently the co-president of the Writing Club in Riyadh - a project that aims to help young men and women find their voice through writing.

Sharp & Narrow Line

~ 7ala Abdullah ~ 7 Comments

Please don’t tell her that I’m falling apart
And I’m finding it hard going on without my heart
Please don’t tell her that I’m feeling blue
Because if she knew
We’d end up right back at the start
And I’d end up falling really hard.

Please don’t tell her that it’s tearing me up
And that it hurts not knowing when this pain will stop
Please don’t tell her that it’s killing me
Cuz then she’d want to be
The one to hold me tight and wrap me up
And catch my tears before they drop.

Please don’t tell her she’s in my thoughts all the time
And that it’s painful not being able to know if she’s really fine
Please don’t tell her that I ask around
And that I’ve found
That between obsession and a love I’ve found divine
There’s a really sharp and narrow line.

Please don’t tell her I’ve told you that she’s the one
And that I want her back, but I need to get some things done
Please don’t tell her that I’ve found it hard resisting
This thought so persistent
That her soul and mine
Are forever entwined.

© Copyright 7ala Abdullah

Endlessly

~ 7ala Abdullah ~ 11 Comments

It’s the pain in your eyes
That drew me in
That angelic disguise
That set my skin
On fire; it burned me
To the core
I had one taste of you
And I couldn’t stop wanting more.

It’s that hope in your voice
That held me up
That jubilant noise
That made me stop
Questioning; me, myself
And the burdened I
You pulled me up from the ground
And I could finally touch the sky.

It’s the sincerity in your words
That inspired me
Those heartfelt emotions
That made me feel
That you were the one
I needed around
On days I was happy
And days I was down.

It’s the passion I’ve been feeling
Ever since you opened my eyes
Those soft, gentle kisses
That triggered the butterflies
In my stomach;
And all other parts of me
You’re still my one and only
And I love you endlessly.

© Copyright 7ala Abdullah

Like A Drug

~ 7ala Abdullah ~ 9 Comments

I wrote this piece about a year ago. I had an idea for a story, and when I decided to sit down and write it, this is what I chose to write for the prologue. I ended up writing 25 chapters, and then I just stopped. My favorite part of the whole thing was this piece, so I decided to share it. If you’re interested in reading the rest, don’t hesitate in letting me know.

And note that this story is entirely fictional. Enjoy!

——————————————————————————

 

I think it’s safe to say she had the bigger part of my heart.

Like Israel, she invaded my Palestine. Except she wasn’t aware of what she’d done, wasn’t aware of the damage, of the casualties. And all the other organs of my body hopelessly tried to fight it, but my heart was defenseless.

And it was sweet… Till it wasn’t.

I’ll admit, I willingly served it to her on a gold platter, but I didn’t except her to gobble it up. And gobble she did, as I watched her lick her perfect lips and smile in pure satisfaction. I watched her, and she watched me suffering. There was something so ironic about the whole situation, because as she clawed at me I wished it were the other way around.

I wished to be the one in control. I wished to have control over her soul. But I had already succumbed to her wishes and to her beauty. I was hers, even though she had no clue of it. Alas, she never wanted me.

But I wanted her. I wanted her with a passion that could easily kill a weakling. Not to say I wasn’t one, but being with her made me strong, and I knew that if I let go of that tiny shred of hope that I would inevitably crumble to pieces.

So I held on, unwanted. I held on when I should have long let go, and it hurt. Hurt because… well, you can’t exactly give someone your heart and then ask for it back, can you? So I guess I was waiting for her to be “polite” which was never really one of her strongest suits. And I couldn’t go on without a heart.

Or so I thought. Until I woke up one day and decided that my heart is something that I will be giving up. Like a drug, or so I tried to convince myself. Like an addiction, I had decided to quit it.

My name is Haley, and I am without a heart.

© Copyright 7ala Abdullah

My Artist Of The Week – “Corinne Bailey Rae”

~ 7ala Abdullah ~ 1 Comment

The artist I choose for this week is: Corinne Bailey Rae.

I discovered Corinne Bailey Rae in late 2007, if I’m not mistaken. I was chatting with a friend on MSN late one night and she told me to give Corinne’s song “Like A Star” a listen because she thought it was “so me”. I was curious to see what she thought was my taste since she and I hasn’t known each other for more than two weeks, so I went on ahead and gave it a listen. Ten seconds into the song and I was shocked to find out that she actually knew me way more than I thought. Two minutes later, I was in love.

My favourite songs of hers are “Like A Star”, “Trouble Sleeping”, “Paper Dolls” and “Closer”. And recently, I’ve been totally obsessed with her newly released album “The Sea” which I think all of you should give a listen – all the way through it!

My favourite lyrics are these;

Just like a star across my sky,
Just like an angel off the page,
You have appeared to my life,
Feel like I’ll never be the same,
Just like a song in my heart,
Just like oil on my hands,
Honoured to love you.

From “Like A Star” from the album “Corinne Bailey Rae”

Could it be I’m suffering
Because I’ll never give in
Won’t say that I’m falling in love
Tell me I don’t see myself
Couldn’t I blame something else
Don’t say I’m falling in love

From “Trouble Sleeping” from the album “Corinne Bailey Rae”

All my life all my life
I said it’s not right
Nobody told me I could do something
Nobody told me I could be something
Yeah
I have tried I have tried
To say it’s alright
Nobody told me I could do something
Nobody told me I could be something

From  “Paper Dolls” from the album “The Sea”

If you like her, visit her Official Website.

Or follow her on Twitter.

My Artist Of The Week – “Tristan Prettyman”

~ 7ala Abdullah ~ 1 Comment

The artist I choose for this week is: Tristan Prettyman.

I discovered Tristan Prettyman roughly about a year ago. I was listening to my Last.fm recommendations (again, when they were free!) and I happened to stumble upon her song “Don’t Work Yourself Up”. I remember thinking her voice was so beautiful and even though I couldn’t catch most of the lyrics, the ones I did took my breath away. I tried to get a hold of some of her other songs, and the next one I heard was “Hello”, and I was so amused by the honest lyrics, the catchy tunes and her mesmerizing voice. It didn’t take too long for me to get completely obsessed with her.

There are two things I love most about her music. 1; her unique voice – which is unlike any other voice I’m attracted to. Usually; softer and sweeter voices catch my attention, but Tristan’s voice is so deep and beautiful that I couldn’t even think of not falling in love with it. 2; her from-the-heart lyrics. Tristan Prettyman doesn’t sing about anything and everything. What she sings about is honest, true, and deep feelings. Unlike many artists, this doesn’t mean all her songs are depressing! You can listen to her music, and it can make you happy, sad, and hyper all at the same time!

My top favourite songs of hers are “Don’t Work Yourself Up” and “Hello”, both from her album “Hello..x”. And the lyrics I love the most are these;

I know there’s no use for
Trying harder I got to
Gage and barter to get out

‘Cause baby you start and then you stop
And my heart beats big before it drops
And I don’t know what’s to do

From “Hello”

I might run off at any given time
Don’t leave no notes there ain’t no reason to lie
Guess I haven’t found what I’m looking for
Can’t keep my hands to myself
Or my eyes off the door

From “Don’t Work Yourself Up”

So you write the title
And I’ll write the chapters
We can read a story of a love gone disaster
You write the moral
And I’ll write the lesson
And we can read a love that kept us guessing

From “The Story”

Unfortunately, the only HQ videos I found of hers were fan videos, so please ignore the video and just listen to the music! (Unless you’re a Harry Potter/Twilight fan!!! xD)

If you liked her, visit her Official Website.

Or follow her on Twitter.