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Poetry

In Perfect Happiness

By Iman Mersal
Translated from Arabic by Khaled Mattawa

Before I sleep
I will take the phone to bed
and talk to them about many things
to make sure they are really there,
that they have dates for the weekend,
and enough security
that makes them fear old age
and makes them sometimes lie.

I will make sure they are really there
in perfect happiness,
and that I am alone
and that the morning is possible
as long as there are new resentments.

© Iman Mersal. By arrangement with the author. Translation © 2006 by Khaled Mattawa. All rights reserved. 

English

Before I sleep
I will take the phone to bed
and talk to them about many things
to make sure they are really there,
that they have dates for the weekend,
and enough security
that makes them fear old age
and makes them sometimes lie.

I will make sure they are really there
in perfect happiness,
and that I am alone
and that the morning is possible
as long as there are new resentments.

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