The Sea and the Horizon

The Sea and the Horizon , is a fascinating mosaic of memory, grief, beauty, and longing through the distilled elegance of Zen-inflected poetry. Inspired by Japanese haikus, this collection traverses the spiritual and emotional landscapes of the self and the world, where each poem becomes a corridor opening onto the different waves of feelings bought by life. The collection is divided into five poetic seasons — Season of the Cold Winds , Season of the Cherry Blossom , Season of the Sweltering Heat, The Season of Hiding , and The Season of Crying. From the flush cherry blossoms and the ache of autumn leaves to the salt-heavy winds of loss, Al-Ghanem’s haikus carry the reader through the unceasing rhythms of time and tenderness. Love echoes in each fragment, each image—a heron in stillness, a shadow over sand, and a single cloud “guarding the ocean”—they become a vessel for vast, unspoken emotions. Translated with remarkable sensitivity by Ibrahim Fawzy, the poems shimmer with minimalist intensity while evoking a profound emotional experience —solitude, nostalgia, rage, reverence, hope, and the weight of letting go. Al-Ghanem’s voice is intimate and gentle, as if whispering directly into the soul. Filled with quiet storms, this is a book for anyone who’s ever waited by the window for a letter that never came. The Sea and the Horizon offers solace, reflection, and luminous companionship.