Al Qaissi was born in 1944 near Jaffa, and was raised in refugee camps. He has a BA in Arabic literature. He worked as a teacher and as a journalist, and lives in Jordan. He is one of the most prolific poets of his generation, his poetry is varied stylistically as he uses the free verse as well as the two hemistich verse. Thematically, he occasionally includes literary and historical allusions and folklore. In 1984 he received the Arab Literary Award from the Jordanian Literary society. After a thirty-year career as a poet, he announced in 1998 his decision to devote himself solely to prose writing.
He passed away in 2003.
Vision
I see the faces change their complexion
peel off their outer skin
I see faces divested
of makeup and masks
and I see an empty stage
the spectators danying their own images
in the third act.
I see a poor man rise
and dream of recreating order.
He doesn't frequent the idlers' cafes
The papers don't carry his picture,
news agencies don't relay his words.
He carves the image of his absent love
on the ceiling of a mountain cave
and sings.