A Talismanic Incantation
A Talismanic Incantation
By Faleeha Hassan
Translated by Mahmoud Abbas Masoud
I gathered the pores of my being
And came to perfume them with your own fragrance
Only to discover that you are an oleander -- a rosebay
While in the memory of unease and apprehension
I trace some features that resemble no one but you
An image has its own dimensions
And, when hopelessness assails me, I have roads
That never cease to pull and lead me toward you
And while in the nook of anxiety
I fancy a preordained timing
For events that never materialize
The image draws near
And I talk to it
About the tons of heavy separation
That oppress the seasons of my life
I have recited you as rain
Yet your lightning never came near me
Alienation gathered thick
Tears heaved with gushing flow
Who will tell you that
My silence is like the mouth of a volcano
I am boundless
Yet fettered only by my own memory
And you are
And will always be
The ever-never closest to me
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