Within every prison cell
there’s a second cell
the one: a cold geography
the other: a burning history
Yes, within every prison
there’s a second prison
the first: the presence of an image
the second: the absence of meaning
And within every cell
a second cell
The first is the spitting image
of a tyrant
The second...
All of my sadness
all of it
is for you
I don’t add a single syllable
I’ve hedged every bet
I placed on a losing proposition
I’ve placed every bet
with destitution
Translated from the Arabic by Ben Bennani.
This poem appeared in Al Jadid Magazine, Vol. 7, No. 37, (Fall 2001). This is an excerpt of a longer poem by Faraj Bayrakdar, a former political prisoner, who spent 13 years in Syria’s prisons.
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