Selections

Adel Khozam
Three Poems

DESTINY

Far away
at the edge of the earth
a man stands
and leans over to stare into his abyss
Then comes the ox of memories
and butts him into the emptiness



THE HEROISM OF A THREAD

My enemy will pass after I do
Please help him
Provide his camp with dogs and fresh dates
Open the gate of wind for his soldiers
I don’t mind
I have passed through the narrow opening
I laugh
because the one behind me is . . . an elephant



CINEMA

In the cinema there is a lot of killing
The screen is full of imaginary blood
The murderer throws his gloves into the onlooker’s faceand fear is provoked by sound effects
from a drum in a symphony of pistols
Killing
has become as necessary in the cinema
as in life



These and more poems are featured in Banipal 30.

All translated by Issa J Boullata  from the author’s collection, Al-Su‘al Alladhi Yatba‘ al-Dahik [The Cough That Follows Laughter], published by Al-Intishar al-‘Arabi, Beirut, 2006.