Fatima Maaroufi - poem
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The Shadow and the Qareen
By Dr. Fatima Maaroufi, Poet and Writer
THE NOISE OF SILENCE…
All around me,
my dots are bound,
Wiping from the forehead
drops of a destiny tattooed
Between the shadow and the Qareen.
A sigh of silver lava
Tightens the soul’s bonds,
Possessing the sultans of the rainbow,
The solid solidity of water,
Crossing the path toward the captive.
A slumber troubles me…
Memories of a sick past
and present trouble me…
Its resentment still invades
a deep-rooted mark
In the depths of the blue soul,
Through which a red hurricane passes,
Watering a mass of fire…
Until the anger is extinguished…
The blazing one in the palm of the green carpet,
And the paths of wakefulness and dreams,
Letters and numbers…
Fall from the heights,
A broken lantern niche.
Struggling against the chains
of the vanishing self,
They remain suspended
Between inhalation and exhalation,
Between fire and bitter cold.
So I carry my cup…
Filled with fiery letters,
And set sail aboard a ship
Made of red clouds.
I plant within it a garden of Zaqqum trees,
With which I feed hungry mouths and bellies.
It is not content with the soil of the earth.
Its vision is piercing,
its greed devastating.
Its homeland is flowing blood,
Like torrents rushing
Toward the cries of the sky.
