Poet's experience of alienation, violence, colonialism, colourism, racism, in Sudan (Egypt?) and the US.
The inclusion of Arabic within the poems is eloquent in conveying how unlikely it is that I can fully grasp all the layers of meaning present, (though there is a glossary and notes in the back that may assist) any more than I can share all the poet has experienced. Still, I owed it to her work to try.
I think formatting is both artistic choice and a calculated method of slowing reading down to reflect further, but I think it messed with my reading comprehension.
Just a humbling reminder that I'm still a novice at understanding poetry.