Sunday, November 19
THE BROAD EXPANSE
In tales of the broad expanse
and far-away islands
where we could’ve been free
where we could’ve been
I shiver
and my heart stops
while I see myself staring
at the horror of the world
like an eagle that leaves its aerie
without a place to hide
In tales of the broad expanse
and far-away islands
I recite what prayers I know
like an ancient priestess
tired of religion’s trickery
In tales of the broad expanse
and far-away islands
I see myself as Zeus’s favorite daughter
Athena
goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare
But Zeus is blind to me
In tales of the broad expanse
and far-away islands
I see myself as me
But my country is blind to me
(Carol Sansour,
translated from Arabic by Youssef Rakha)