News isn't designed to talk about daily life in its nuances, but poetry is.

Islam doesn't have a monopoly on violence in Africa. And violence plays a particularly critical role in places where statehood is weak at best, such as the Maghreb.

Speculation is a fool's game, but I've seen many political projections that look like the Taliban could hold most of the country, and possibly Kabul, within perhaps a short time.

Poetry allows me to write about what I don't know, whereas journalism demands a higher level of certainty to be worthy of being written.

The future of Afghanistan is incredibly dark, and decisions are happening incredibly quickly.

I was surprised by the level of sophistication of the Special Operation forces. Among them were anthropologists and PhD candidates. I felt because I understand the patterns of nineteenth-century jihad in West Africa that I was definitely going to be more advanced than they were in comprehending what the militant rallying cry was.

I think most good poetry is about suffering; I think that's what underlies the love in these landays pieces - suffering and longing.