A child that is always late
ALAA HASANIN – Translated by: Ibrahim Al- Sharif
As for me,
out of all the children,
the moon never followed me
home
butterflies never woke me
whenever I would doze off on the grass
to get up and chase after them,
and my baby teeth never became
stars
that would wave at me from afar.
And when I would be late at night
the men of the village
wouldn’t carry their torches
and come out
shouting my name.
I was always late
for almost everything
for instance
each morning
I would arrive at school
while they were all going up to their classes
and when I would come home at noon
the family, usually,
would have just finished having lunch
and when I got a little older
the girl I loved
would always get up
before I could lean down
and finally kiss her.
Life has
always
always
been one step ahead of me.