Tame your heart
ALAA HASANIN – Translated by: Ibrahim Al- Sharif
Like a good dog
tame your heart
for the distances
between life
and yourself,
for the emptiness
beside you in bed
in the bus seat
and in the café,
for your quick lunch
that you eat standing up
in a hurry,
for love
you drink
in a hurry
in one sip
as if
it was a bitter
cup of coffee,
for the holes in your heart
and your hands,
for the people you love
the things
you love
when they fall out
of your heart
and hands,
for life
that passes you by, every time,
like a train
always moving
before you get on it,
for sleeping late
and waking up late,
for bad grades,
the last chair
at the back of the class
and at the back of life,
for you mother,
even your mother,
who always calls you
by another name,
and for your lover
who sleeps
in another’s bed
and for the losses,
tame your heart
like a good dog
tame your heart.