English translation by Pina Piccolo, from Italian translation of Arabic original by Sana Darghmouni. Permission pending. Cover art: Salma, by Sliman Mansour.
Only those who savor the smell of lead shall survive
Like a fleeing, drowned woman
who has regained her escaped lungs from the waves
and remains impartial to salt,
I attempt to cook food
cut my nails
take care of the only turtle in the corner of the house
and spray on a little perfume in the evening.
At some other time
I go listen to the buzzing of planes
talk to the neighbor about what time the power is on.
watch songs instead of news
convincing the dead that they are still alive
and re-arrange the clothes in the wardrobe before leaving.
Today
the city is twirling
and everyone dances on the sidelines
only those who savor the smell of lead shall survive
I don’t have a hot air balloon
I’ll drink my coffee before the shop runs out
and I’ll pretend to be fine
Ni’ma Hassan, Palestinian poet who participated in the initiative This is Gaza: Literary Text Written under Israeli Bombardment (7 October- 20 December 2023), contributing her poems of witness and protest.
