Behind the Rays
by Mohammed Hasan Al-Quzahi
translated by Hatem Al-Shamea
Behind the Rays
they run,
on soil untouched,
chasing the hunt of the field.
They weave medals from the wrinkles
of a familiar face,
and a familiar voice.
They master the art of movement,
behind the rays,
gathering echoes of rumors.
In the agenda of their names,
only ours appear.
Perhaps they comprehend its prophecies,
not hidden,
in the details of the blood-red sun.
They may carry a confession,
of what doesn’t dwell within them,
to the directions,
and there is no choice but
to follow its impossible myths,
rebellious in the crowd of words,
sailing in the rays or the ashes,
stubborn when it does not bow
under the burdens of its ancestors…
Map of Sorrow and Wind – Ahmed Abdo – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
