SHUROUK HAMMOUD

SHUROUK HAMMOUD

LIKE A TEARDROP

I have never been dull:

As a road leans on

empty sidewalks

Nor tepid

as a love

shrinking by ageing

My "Asmahanic" voice

- as your description -

Didn't husk, but tripped by

the groans of the shipwrecked

Without giving them a wating straw

And I have never been one

Of those dgnifiers of death

All what was there, that:

The life you promised entering me its heart

Did not vast

So i shrunk

As the letter "e"

And still holding the life's tail

Like a teardrop!

*Asmahan: Old Syrian female singer.

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY: SALLY S. ALI

SPEAK MY LANGUAGE

When my voice drops blood

And my soul starves to fly

Speak my language

When you see me sitting

On the verge of a tear

Do not talk to me about your future plans

And when you do

Do not expect me to be an angel

There are no bleeding angels

You see god?!

May be I will not leave you

Since I have no one left

But I will not stay either

My heart will sink again

Deep in the world darkness

Where no stars to hug

Or moons' faces to look at

So please

When you hear my loud crying

Do not say a word

Or close your ears

Fall asleep

And let me flutter

Like a dying bird

In my sacred dancing hall

Let the wars eat the last bite

Of my soul

Or speak my language

Speak Arabic

KIDS

The sky spits barrels of fire

Kids are playing

Mothers become widows of peace

Kids are playing

Streets take off the smell of steps

Kids are playing

Gardens flee to autumn lap

Kids are playing

Life turns to be a statue of slavery

Kids are playing

World war swears to count to three

Kids are playing

The wind sneezes refugees' stories

Kids are playing

Sisyphus rock becomes a mountain

Kids are playing

They are not the players of absurd ball

Pains are

SHUROUK HAMMOUD

SHUROUK HAMMOUD is a Syrian poet, literary translator, editor and journalist; she has five published poetry collections total in Arabic language and English. Award winner poet, her poetry have been translated into eleven languages.