Verbal Diaeresis
I love the diaeresis
Despite its runny name,
As lopping off the dual dots
Makes knave and naïve the same.
And thoughtful Emily Brontë
Would think it quite a taunt
If, sinning by omission,
You rendered her as “Bronte.”
Wael Almahdi is a translator and dentist from Bahrain. His poetry has appeared in Arablit Quarterly, Rowayat, and The Knight Letter. His first collection, A Breeze from the East, was published in 2025, and introduces Mashriqi English, a register that blends contemporary English with Arabic and Persian vocabulary and themes.