This is a rough translation of an attempt to write a poem in Arabic. The poem has obviously been lost in translation, but still, I wanted to share this with you. I’ll be writing on this in English in the coming period, and probably will use this rough translation as a basis for something more elaborate. I wrote this about a month ago, in the framework of my activism in Tuskuteesh (don’t remain silent), a safe space for Arab women to share testimonies of sexual violence. The original Arabic is below the English.
My brain – an archive of sexual assaults.
Haifa rape
Amman harassment
Tunisia assault
Family member
Father – a word the meaning of should be harbor of safety
Transforms in the dictionary of life to destruction
Brother – a word the meaning of should be pure love
Transforms in the dictionary of life to nightmares
With every passing day, I discover the smiles on women’s faces are scars of deep wounds.
Inside the home – a safe space for some, while for others the most dangerous place.
My brain – an archive of sexual assaults.
Harassment assault rape.
And her smile a veil hiding the terror the fear the sadness the pain.
And her body a frame of bones from which life has departed.
And her soul a shadow shrinking with every sunrise, until it completely disappears.
Fragments of a soul
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Original text in Arabic:
مُخِّي – أرشيف إعتداءات جنسيّة.
حيفا إغتصاب
عمّان تحرّش
تونس إعتداء
قريب عائلة
أب – كلمة مفروض تعريفها ميناء الأمان
تتحوّل في قاموس الحياة لدمار حياة.
أخ – كلمة مفروض تعريفها حب طاهر
تتحوّل في قاموس الحياة لكوابيس.
يوم على يوم، بكتشف انه الإبتسامات على وجوه النساء علامات جروح عميقة.
داخل البيت – أكثر مكان أمان للبعض وبنفس الوقت أكثر مكان خطر للبعض الآخر.
مُخِّي – أرشيف إعتداءات جنسية.
تحرّش إعتداء إغتصاب.
وإبتسامتُها حِجابٌ يُخفي الهلع والخوف والحُزُن والألم.
وجسدُها هيكلُ عِظامٍ فارقتهُ الحياة.
وروحها ظلٌّ يتلاشى مع كل شروقِ الشمس حتى الإختفاء.
#شظايا_روح
Writing in the Margins 