Abide
By Tareq Hajjaj
Translated By Najlaa Eltom & Edward Salem
Translated from the Arabic
Bones dig themselves up, laughing,
to do what they never dared
beneath the soil.
This flesh was once grass
dressed in light.
Far down where light is
undone, in dirt’s sanctum,
the seed observes
its only vow.
Notes:
This poem is part of the folio “Broken Lines: A Gathering of Exiled Poets,” curated by Laura Kraftowitz and Edward Salem. Read the rest of the folio in the July/August 2026 issue of Poetry.
Source: Poetry (July/August 2026)