Poetry Unbound Lena Khalaf Tuffaha — Dukka
Feb 23, 2026
A lyrical reading explores love as resistance amid danger and grief. The poem maps seven vivid scenes of care across generations and community. Repetition and line breaks build musical tension and hope. Temporal threads tie past, present, and future into acts of defiant tenderness.
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Dinner Table Moments Anchor Big Themes
- A dinner by the ocean opens the poem with intimate, everyday details that ground larger themes.
- The speakers review the menu, help a waitress pronounce dukkha, and discuss ageing and risk, anchoring political images in ordinary life.
The Poem’s Intelligence Of Time
- The poem uses an intelligence of time to link present moments with past endurance and future hope.
- Images like the meteor shower, embroidery on ancestral linen, and planting olive trees weave past, present, and future into a single continuum.
Use Repetition To Reinforce What Matters
- Pay attention and repeat important truths; repetition is a 'technology' the poem uses to strengthen memory and community.
- The line 'Love is paying attention' is mirrored by the friend repeating it back, modeling this practice.
