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Two Poems by Khulood al-Mu'alla
Translated by Rasheeda Plenty and the author
DISCOVERY
You and I
have been alike for years.
I used to catch a glimpse of myself in you . . .
time was without pulse
the mirror was without reflection.
One night,
a hand sneaked in,
lit a candle
and I discovered that for years
I had been seeing you in the dark.
INDIFFERENCE
I won’t lie on a bed of emptiness
I won’t get hung up by what others arrange.
I won’t care what dishes luck serves up,
won’t accept my fortune.
Today, I’ll ride the crest of a wave,
toward another shore.
I’ll sail through gales and thunder
with indifference.
I’ll reveal and be revealed
committing the act of rebirth.
And when the sun hugs its horizon,
I’ll sit beneath a flourishing palm tree.
I’ll cleanse my fate of signs of wasters
and bloom like a glowing lilac,
my heart overflowing
in a country softened by affection,
I’ll be walking boldly.