You’ll keep dreaming
You exist to dream.
Put your hands on the book of water
and swear you’ll return to a sky
you used to touch with your small palm
or hide its night in your secret pocket.
You exist
to dream under a vine
and make its shade whole.
Leave the place where it lies
and go dream
Leave your roots below
where the spring bubbles over
and the shade’s deep enough for sleep.
Here is your place
under you
under the ground
To stay, you won’t need even your father’s name
you won’t need another exile
The sky has ended here
The past has ended
The old light has ended
So put your hands on the book of water
and swear you’ll return
to the sky you followed to find out
where you were
what your father’s name was,
and your name
and your mother’s name.
You, the son of farmers who don’t cry,
who only remember their tears
when confronted with their homeland.
Leave the place where it lies to return
Make the land bigger and the sky smaller
Leave the wolf in the vision
to search for false blood
on shirts.
Let history end
What’s it got to do with you?
Make the place forget when you arrived,
and what your name is,
and let what is be what was.
Leave the place where it lies
and go into forgetfulness
Wave hello to the houses,
hello,
hello,
Walk your heart around them
and dream across their walls.
“ موجودٌ لتحلُمَ” © Zuhair Abu Shayeb. By arrangement with the author. Translation © 2024 by Miled Faiza and Karen McNeil. All rights reserved.
