I will call you mom by Gamal Alkassas, Egypt
This devastating war
Would not block the road
It will always be born of your thirst
From your hunger
From your siege
This trembling scream in your mouth
Will not die
It will build a nest for the rain
His burning heart will awaken
On a new morning
Filling the souls with your warmth
This hand that claps for the killers
The hand that addicted to its shame
Will be defeated by your dreams
Will be folded by the scream
When it cleans your wound from the dirt of the world
A home of love for you
Dew kisses to you
O woman of light and fire
O necklace of Jasmine
Oh Gaza
I will not call you the sun
Or the sea
Or time
I will call you mom.
Light a candle here
They continue the bombing
They fear that life will be born again
For rain to grow
For the sky to bury its wounds
To be freed from the weight of sleeping on the knee of the shores.
The shadow of the moon is far away
Nothing cleanses the soul
No equation for death
No truce for a bird
For a flower
For a tree
For a breeze
For a baby girl
For a drop of water, her veins dried up
For a long time, they have been singing about hope
They resist until their last breath
They guard dreams
They teach them how to live
In the mouth of air
In exhalations of pain.
Light a candle here
There is a blindfolded scratch
Looking for a sunshine
In the fragments of bodies.
Light a candle
Ignite
The bombing will not end
Memory is a perforated box
And madness has no limits
In vain does nothingness cover up with scrolls of ruin
It peels the night under your skin
It builds nests for him
You claim you’re still just over the edge
No edge
No nests
No night
It is your thirsty soul
Contemplate her
Hug her
When she is going up
From the incinerator of colors
From the darkness of the vessel
From the cry of the shroud.
Gamal Alkassas
Gamal Al-Qassas (1950) is an Egyptian poet and journalist. He has published fourteen poetry collections, the most recent of which is “There was Music here” published in 2023. Selections of his poems have been translated into English, Arabic, and Greek. He also won the Cavafy International Prize in Poetry in 1998. He is considered one of the most important founders of the “Illumination 77” poetry group in the 1970s.
Translated into Arabic by Dr.Salwa Gouda
Dr Salwa Gouda is an accomplished Egyptian literary translator, critic, and academic affiliated with the English Language and Literature Department at Ain Shams University. Holding a PhD in English literature and criticism, Dr. Gouda pursued her education at both Ain Shams University and California State University, San Bernardino. She has authored several academic works, including Lectures in English Poetry and Introduction to Modern Literary Criticism, among others. Dr. Gouda also played a significant role in translating The Arab Encyclopedia for Pioneers, a comprehensive project featuring poets, philosophers, historians, and literary figures, conducted under the auspices of UNESCO. Recently, her poetry translations have been featured in a poetry anthology published by Alien Buddha Press in Arizona, USA. Her work has also appeared in numerous international literary magazines, further solidifying her contributions to the field of literary translation and criticism.
