"And yet, on the streets of the city,
when night constructs its barriers of black stone —
they stretch out their hands,
in silence, to the balconies of the future.

Look, there they are,
heads slumped in silence.
And you think they are calm.
But you're wrong. Truth is, they're on fire."

Al-Fayturi's poem Sorrows of the Black City is extremely descriptive and vivid. The illustration of the bustling market scene a reflection of that. The words are somber yet hopeful, this is mirrored on the writer’s expression.

Commissioned in honor of the Sudanese-Libyan poet, playwright and diplomat Muhammad Al-Fayturi. The doodle celebrates what would have been the writers 85th birthday on the 24th of November, 2021. More on the doodle, including a Q&A here.