Translated from the Arabic by Sinan Antoon

My desires open their doors Towards Baghdad (Did I say that Baghdad is cloaked in its agonies?) Let there be confusion between us. Was it drawn in the Caliph’s book Torn between one fire and another: Devastation drags its feet Across its land And its feet Do not lead to any light

[…]

I carry the burdens of my land Its dreams and worries But I do not go forward I walk as if in a shackle Am I this dust’s fortune teller Or the sculptor of these clouds?

[…]

Is that a cloud, which cloaks me? Its rustle is the language Of fading borders A labyrinth And one caravan losing another I am the testimony Delirious and bewildered Like someone walking On his own remains Improvising space Our land is effaced For too many prophets Were piled on it