Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Ahmed Barakat

Afterwards

Why does a loud laugh burst out whenever the train passes by at mid-history
That glassy train whenever it would pass by inside the head of the woman struck by the impossible
Heading to where the shepherd knows not
The shepherd with the hat inhabited by swallows

Little by little the geometry of the heap clears up
A sharp stretch amidst white protuberances
The close one in his own closeness reaches not the distant one in his distance
A collective grave sealed with an old chain

In this narrow stretch how can a table be laid without prophets
A little while ago I looked about and viewed one single scene
A wallet
Besides it the remains of the glass smashed with love

Can the side-glance become so meaningless
As a mill in its owner’s pocket

This is all what happened
Afterwards
Who among you knows not the number of the dead this morning
To my knowledge there are countless prisoners
This without mentioning the blind
And those with glasses
And those squatting on the electric rock
And those who love wolves

AFTERWARDS

Close

Afterwards

Why does a loud laugh burst out whenever the train passes by at mid-history
That glassy train whenever it would pass by inside the head of the woman struck by the impossible
Heading to where the shepherd knows not
The shepherd with the hat inhabited by swallows

Little by little the geometry of the heap clears up
A sharp stretch amidst white protuberances
The close one in his own closeness reaches not the distant one in his distance
A collective grave sealed with an old chain

In this narrow stretch how can a table be laid without prophets
A little while ago I looked about and viewed one single scene
A wallet
Besides it the remains of the glass smashed with love

Can the side-glance become so meaningless
As a mill in its owner’s pocket

This is all what happened
Afterwards
Who among you knows not the number of the dead this morning
To my knowledge there are countless prisoners
This without mentioning the blind
And those with glasses
And those squatting on the electric rock
And those who love wolves

Afterwards

Why does a loud laugh burst out whenever the train passes by at mid-history
That glassy train whenever it would pass by inside the head of the woman struck by the impossible
Heading to where the shepherd knows not
The shepherd with the hat inhabited by swallows

Little by little the geometry of the heap clears up
A sharp stretch amidst white protuberances
The close one in his own closeness reaches not the distant one in his distance
A collective grave sealed with an old chain

In this narrow stretch how can a table be laid without prophets
A little while ago I looked about and viewed one single scene
A wallet
Besides it the remains of the glass smashed with love

Can the side-glance become so meaningless
As a mill in its owner’s pocket

This is all what happened
Afterwards
Who among you knows not the number of the dead this morning
To my knowledge there are countless prisoners
This without mentioning the blind
And those with glasses
And those squatting on the electric rock
And those who love wolves
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
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