Penmanship Blues
As we consider all we've lost and all we've gained
we must recall the cost and pay the debt
to whom it had concerned, to whom we owe
to those whose soul was earned, and those who stole
we know those who convene and dream of life
the same as those with fizzled days and burning nights
we ask ourselves, tonight a sonnet? perhaps a verse
as life proceeds, tonight a blessing? perhaps a curse
we all agree
what it may be
it's certainly
avoiding lies
it's what we hear when voices lie
it's what to do when tongues are tied
and quickly we propel to dark
even if small, we'll leave a mark
we will proceed to write down life
even if just by scraps of light.
Jamal Juma
The Anchor's Song
I am the anchor
No one touches the depths as I do.
Only the waves and water moss
know the beauty of my fall.
I don't reveal my secrets
except to the drowned
I don't say goodbye
except to the migrating fish.
I chose the sea
that my echo would not be lost
as I hit the bottom.
I chose the sea
that I may not forget the water
as I head for the ground
I chose the sea
to camouflage my tears with water
that no one may see them.
I'm the anchor
falling freely in countries with no name
sea shells and oysters only
are my friends
and everything hard wrapped in light
I was born like you were born
from steel, dust, and gold
I will die like you will die
but the ground will not forget me easily
not as long as it is filled with all these scratches
that my traversal creates.
Translated by Nathalie Khankan
Jamal Jumá: Member of World Poets Society (W.P.S.).
Bio: An Iraqi poet, born in Baghdad and received his academic education in Copenhagen, where he has lived since 1984. He has edited and published numerous manuscripts of Erotica, including The Perfumed Garden and A Promenade of the Hearts, and The Forbidden Texts. This infuriated some religious and political establishments around the Arab World, resulting in the confiscation and banning of these books in Arab countries.
He has published collections of poetry, including Book of the Book (1990), A Handshake in the Dark (1995), and Diary of a Sleepwalker (1998). He has been translated into Danish, English, Swedish, French, German, Persian, Turkish, Tamil and other languages.
I am the anchor
No one touches the depths as I do.
Only the waves and water moss
know the beauty of my fall.
I don't reveal my secrets
except to the drowned
I don't say goodbye
except to the migrating fish.
I chose the sea
that my echo would not be lost
as I hit the bottom.
I chose the sea
that I may not forget the water
as I head for the ground
I chose the sea
to camouflage my tears with water
that no one may see them.
I'm the anchor
falling freely in countries with no name
sea shells and oysters only
are my friends
and everything hard wrapped in light
I was born like you were born
from steel, dust, and gold
I will die like you will die
but the ground will not forget me easily
not as long as it is filled with all these scratches
that my traversal creates.
Translated by Nathalie Khankan
Jamal Jumá: Member of World Poets Society (W.P.S.).
Bio: An Iraqi poet, born in Baghdad and received his academic education in Copenhagen, where he has lived since 1984. He has edited and published numerous manuscripts of Erotica, including The Perfumed Garden and A Promenade of the Hearts, and The Forbidden Texts. This infuriated some religious and political establishments around the Arab World, resulting in the confiscation and banning of these books in Arab countries.
He has published collections of poetry, including Book of the Book (1990), A Handshake in the Dark (1995), and Diary of a Sleepwalker (1998). He has been translated into Danish, English, Swedish, French, German, Persian, Turkish, Tamil and other languages.
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