Lola Koundakjian: A trip to Egypt

Two friends announced they were planning
To discover Cairo and the desert
I said I’d go remembering my school trip there --
My twelve-old self touring Giza and the pyramids,

Stopping for tea at the Mena House,
Taking a boat ride to King Tut’s tomb,
An overnight train ride to Karnak-Luksor
and the Valley of the Kings.

The following week I sold my camera
a beautiful single lens reflex Nikon
with a gorgeous macro lens.
I was young, fearless and ready for heat stroke.

The men were giddy with excitement,
We talked about shots and malaria pills,
Eating great food on a student budget.
In my mind I visited the souk with endless
Stalls of ladies gallabiahs,

Ate dried dates coated in chocolate,
And bought books by the new Nobel laureate*.
But I never made it to the tarmac at JFK.
The camera paid that month’s rent.


Published in Mizna, Volume 13, Issue 2, 2012



* Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel Laureate in Literature, 1988.

London reading via Skype

On Saturday, November 3, 2012, Ms. Koundakjian read her work to an audience in London via Skype. This was made possible thanks to wireless network at the Saint Sarkis church in Kensington, London,