Omar Metwally
Omar Metwally is a metaphysician. He is perpetually becoming but never being.
ometwally.com Photo by Lukas Friedemann
How do you characterize your poetry to someone who's never read it?
The poem is the lucid moment in which we feel our doppelgänger's breath upon our nape, and instead of fleeing, muster the courage to confront him. Who was the first person who approved of you as a writer?
My greatest struggle thus far on the perilous path that all artists tread was learning to confront my audience. Grady Harp, a physician and one of my favorite poets, showed me that it's possible both to practice medicine and to write poetry. A psychiatrist published a particularly malicious "review" of my first novel in a medical journal. When I turned to Grady for advice, he wrote something that I'll never forget: 'It doesn't matter what people say about you, as long as they're talking about you.' It was the best advice a young and insecure writer could receive. The aftermath of my first novel, which would have silenced me were it not for Grady's mentorship, taught me that it's impossible to hide behind one's words. The reader is always scouring the text for the writer's presence.
What is your day job?
When I'm not writing, I am a medical student at the University of Michigan. I am married happily to my work in the hospital. Poetry is my messy affair.
Do you live a balanced life?
How nice it would be to have an extra few hours each day to write more! To see more patients, or to go for a run in the early morning. To meditate before the sun breaks the day. Walk through a forest, far away from the nearest road. Like a child, watch and wonder. Yet on this Lebenslust, on this sensation of time hunger, we as artists thrive.
What would you like said on your epitaph? Absolutely nothing. As Rumi wrote, "Silence is the language of God. All else is poor translation."
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