[These poems, translated from Arabic by Sinan Antoon, are from Wadi Saadeh`s forthcoming collection "Man Akhadha al-Nazra Allati Taraktuha Waraa al-Bab" (Who Took the Gaze I Left Behind the Door).
Lower Your Voice
Lower your voice please!
I want to hear what silence is saying
Perhaps it is saying: come!
And I want to follow it
Signs
Many signs on the roads
Signs pointing to cities
Signs pointing to streets
Signs pointing to factories, institutions, shops, houses
Many signs full of names
He walks
Looking for a sign
That is empty
I Want Another Moment
I heard it
Yes, I heard this bell ringing inside my head
So stop it, please!
I want to sleep
Please stop the bell!
I want another moment
To say goodbye to the one who visited me in my dream
and to thank my comforter
The Wind, Too, Has Children
The wind, too, has children
It scatters them as it passes
Leaves them all alone
The wind has children on the roads
Amorphous, naked, orphans
They wave to those passing by
Hoping that their gazes would cover their nothingness
So they could have bodies
And be seen
Drowning
He poured water
A lot of water
And drowned in it
He thought his soul was a cloth
And wanted to wash it
[Translated by Sinan Antoon]