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.

Similar Posts

اترك تعليقاً

لن يتم نشر عنوان بريدك الإلكتروني. الحقول الإلزامية مشار إليها بـ *