Jean Dark
Like Jean Dark
I’m going to practice black magic
and lead my Country’s revolution
never shall I let fire eat me up
I
did draw
a crematory
for the fire
this time;
It’s my own silence.
A River
Heavily
was the river
weeping
so heavily
that we thought it
was a river!
Stagnant Euphrates
Who on earth can say the river flows
or the lake in good order.
It’s our vision
that admit Thing in and out
My name
I heard them calling my name
before replying,
I thought for a while:
The world has one gate
and one destination,
I wonder if I could return again
if I replied?
The North Sun…
You don’t know the North Sun…
Just like yourself…
Cold over meeting
Scorching over leaving…
Accordion
An inn with metallic full heels
And a pavement furnished with accordion melodies,
During the visa card era
Nothing furthers
Not even begging.
Drowning
The boy who forgot to water his rose
Woke up this morning
Overwhelmed by the whiteness of her look
And the silence of a flower
Forcibly pushing upward from a drowned night.
…
Do you still insist
You ‘re not roses’ butcher?
Loneliness
A lock for every door
A shoe for every horse
My wall-less door stands sadly
With a mere knock swinging like you, lonely horseshoe.
A world
A couple of doves
And a wall edge
How extensive the world’s heart is!
(Translated by Bashar Abdullah)
The Iraqi poet and writer Manal Al-Sheikh (1971) was born in Nineveh in northern Iraq. She has a bachelor’s degree in English-Arabic translation from the College of Arts, Mosul University. As a poet, writer and journalist, she has published texts in many Iraqi, Arab and European newspapers and magazines. She writes in Arabic and she has published several poetry and short story collections. Her work is translated into many languages including French, Norwegian, Italian, Spanish and English. She currently resides in Stavanger, Norway.
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