Khaled Mattawa
Author’s Note (poems on reverse):
‘Alams are short poems composed and chanted by Bedouin poets of eastern Libya and western Egypt. Unrhymed short phrases, ‘alams are pithy statements often quoted in daily conversation to express an individual’s immediate circumstances. ‘Alams are also called ghinawat (little songs). For more on the form, see Lila Abu-Lughod’s Veiled Sentiments: Honor and Poetry in a Bedouin Society (1986).