MY
IRAQ
When
I say, My Iraq or My Germany or My Costa Rica, I mean exactly that.
I do not mean Iraq, Germany and Costa Rica of all Iraqis, Germans or
Costa Ricans. I mean my homelands, countries that are in many ways different;
they are my versions, my intimate homelands. They may have many features
in common with Iraq, Germany and Costa Rica as known to others, but
they also have many features that are only to be found in my version
of these countries. My homelands exist physically. They are the countries
of millions of people. But for me, they also exist virtually, in my
memory and through my intimate relation to them. Thus my homelands have
a dual existence. While I share with others the public versions of my
homelands, I am the sole person who has the key to the personal and
virtual versions. As I write and speak of them and incorporate them
in my poetry, I share my personal and virtual version and experience
with others. By making my version available to others, I hope to enrich
their experience and knowledge of my homelands. Thus I expand my homelands
beyond their physical boundaries and the conventional knowledge about
them.