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In the business of things that don’t earn you much
I am a dandelion and you are a symphony
We both live long interrupted lives of flight and bumblebee cacophony
The similarities are striking
And so is the Lightning

In the business of things that don’t earn you much
A smile is up for sale on the snail market
Things are slow and progressive
But we live day to day
One breath at a time
Holding onto the dirt and calling it home
We are nomads
No match for our treacherous selves that betray us out of place
We are extroverts
Open minded and confident when discussing our introversion

In the business of things that don’t earn you much
We are jackpots and potholders
Boiled streaks of golden seeds too good for investment and too wide for parliament seats
The only representation our tongues receive is that which falls on our cheeks

In this business we are not efficient
We are not affluent
You have nothing to spare
And much left to the uncertainty
Of hope



Ziad Gadou is a twenty-three-year-old Egyptian spoken word poet. He uses his poetry to discuss mental and social issues that tackle his life as a nomad who moves between different Arab countries. He draws inspiration from the poets he watches online and in the open mic events he frequents in Dubai, Muscat, and Cairo. His influence is deeply rooted in both Western and Eastern music and literature.
Current Issue
11 May 2026

If only Serthe'P had been able to fit in, maybe she could have protected —. No. This thought was dangerous. Mnth’R had helped her understand that their isolation had more to do with the Raja’s exploitation of their cast’s fears than any shortcomings of theirs, his Manifest Sight propaganda curdling climate anxieties into prejudice against community members. Serthe’P needed to remember that their lives mattered too much to be reduced by a tyrant’s ideology. Separated from the cast, they were still finding ways to take care of each other.
Siberia our first home / wild and remote–safe / but Alexei wanted more / theatre–dances–rich men
Change requires examination of the initial errors
Issue 4 May 2026
Issue 20 Apr 2026
By: Athar Fikry
Podcast read by: Emmie Christie
Issue 13 Apr 2026
Issue 6 Apr 2026
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Issue 16 Mar 2026
Issue 9 Mar 2026
By: Lio Abendan
Podcast read by: Jenna Hanchey
Strange Horizons
2 Mar 2026
Strange Horizons invites non-fiction submissions for our March 30 special issue on “Fungi in SFF.”
Issue 2 Mar 2026
Strange Horizons
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