MUNA AL ASSI
مياه مشبوهة
خرجت من عيادة طبيبي، خفيفة كمغفرة
.تركت في حوض أسماكه رجالا كانوا يسبحون في دمي
.علّقت على جدران عيادته، الصور المبعثرة في ذاكرة مصباحي
,حتى الأسماء، التي كان يلقيها الأصدقاء تحت نافذتي كحبات قمح يابسة
.زرعتها له فيأصيص حبقته
اصطاد كل النحل من قميصي ونظف ألوانه المائعة من الحدائق
,أنا خفيفة من قصائدي أغرقتها في كأس البيرة
.ومن أصدقاء كانوا يزدحمون في قلبي بلا أكتاف
خفيفة من عصافير كانت تعشش في جديلة قلبي
,خفيفة كوعد الغواية
,خفيفة إذاً من رجالي ومن أصدقائي
,من صوري ومن ملابسي
من نصوصي ومن نافذتي التطل على عجوز تكتب رسائل لله عن وحدتي
أنا
خ
ف
ي
ف
ة
سوى من اسم تسيل منه امرأة يابسة
MIRAGE
I left my doctor’s clinic—weightless with forgiveness.
In his fish tank, I left men swimming in my blood.
On the clinic walls, I hung photos scattered in the lantern light of
my memory.
The names recited by friends under my window,
like dried wheat seeds—I planted in his basil pots.
I hunt all the bees from my shirt & I clean the colors that melt over
gardens.
Every poem sinks in my glass of beer, & I’m light
of friends that crowded my heart without shoulders,
of friends that nested in my heart braids.
Lightness is a tempting false promise.
So—I’m not weighted by my men & my friends,
by my clothes & my photos,
by my writings & my window framing an old woman writing to
God about my loneliness.
I am
أنا
خ
ف
ي
ف
ة
Except for the weeping of the name: dry woman.
TRANSLATORS’ NOTE:
The letters in Arabic spell out khafifah, meaning ‘weightless’ or ‘light’
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Muna Al Assi is a Palestinian poet and journalist, born in Syria in the Yarmouk refugee camp. She studied English literature at Damascus University and has worked in media for many years in Syria and Dubai; notably at The Gulf Emirates Newspaper. Her work has been published in French, English, Bulgarian, German, Flemish and Italian.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS
Dima AlBasha is an entrepreneur and translator from Aleppo, Syria. Since coming to the United States, she has become a promoter of interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding; as well, she’s given a TEDx talk which bridges gaps between people of different cultures and perspectives. Dima is a translator for the Her Story Is collective.
Jennifer Jean’s poetry collections include VOZ, Object Lesson, and The Fool. Her teaching resource book is Object Lesson: a Guide to Writing Poetry. She’s received honors, residencies, and fellowships from the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, DISQUIET/Dzanc Books, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Her Story Is collective, the Academy of American Poets, and the Women’s Federation for World Peace. As well, her poems and co-translations have appeared in POETRY, Rattle, The Common, Waxwing, On the Seawall, and elsewhere. Jennifer edits translations for Consequence Forum and is the senior program manager of 24PearlStreet, the Fine Arts Work Center’s online writing program.