Do you know? By Khaled Al-Sindyoni, Egypt

Do you know?

By Khaled Al-Sindyoni

There is no word in this era
More monstrous than the word “project”
Whether it originally meant a “preliminary plan”
Or “throwing something forward.”

But what lingers in my mind
Is a series of horror films that bear this name in part:
Blair Witch Project
Project Horror.

Perhaps this poor word, too, has been manipulated
I seek the experts’ help
Or had its own criminal inspiration designed for it.

Because evacuating a piece of land of its people is just a “project”
Thus, killing children
By thirst
By hunger
Or by slow torture
And razing homes to the ground
Is merely a phase in a timeline.

And there’s a Human Resources department
Supplying the project with philosophers, scientists
Legal experts, generals
Even writers whose talent lies in drafting reports
All for the sake of emptying a piece of land of its people.

There are those who can silence mouths, too
The banks know exactly what they’re doing in this regard.

There are highly prestigious institutions eager to participate
In “mitigating side effects “ the new name for perjury.

There are impeccably stylish men whose job is to turn lies into truth
And there are the bastards at the forefront
Competing to see who can snipe more children.

And there is the Devil in his office
Overseeing everything
From a cool, refined place
Dreaming of seeing the earth emptied of humans.

Khaled Al-Sindyoni

Khaled Al-Sindyoni is an Egyptian poet born in 1966. He holds a bachelor’s degree in geology. Al-Sindyoni has participated in several literary festivals, such as the Beit Al-Shiir (House of Poetry) Festival in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, during its second edition in 2016. His poems have been published in numerous newspapers and websites.

Khaled Al-Sindyoni has released several poetry collections, including:

• Megapolis (Poetry): Published in 1999 by Sharqiyat for Publishing and Distribution in Cairo.
• A Smiling Tiger (Poetry): Published in 2008 by Sharqiyat for Publishing and Distribution in Cairo.
• The Player (Poetry): Published in 2012 by Al-Ghaoon in Lebanon.
• The World Sings (Poetry): Published in 2014 by Rawafed in Cairo.
• The Lost Knight (Poetry): Published in 2018 by Dar Rawafed.
• Finally, the collection “Again and Again” was published by Dar Al-Adham.

Translated  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.