1. His father's swords from fifty years ago
Leaning on the wall without a sheath

2. Covered in spiderwebs, they became a sheath
Over an ancient sheath worn out

3. And I have horses like a stable but
I leave them and abandon my shadow there

4. Ask the flag bearers, my eyes parted
And the old revered marshal’s barn

5. From the marshal I seek the return of my soul
And the coming back of my knight to unlock my shackles

6. And warn that if he is gracious, I’ll fast a year
And the like of me, who fasts and who prays

7. Otherwise I’ll die of hunger for justice
Just as those dressed like me died before me

8. And O Kenwood, you broke my heart
And yesterday’s events broke my leg

9. And Dr. Saad is not crazy
Nor did he insult the analyst unjustly

10. But the doctor’s beloved is Egypt
And he sees Sudan as its shadow

11. He spent the night in the Nile palace and every prison
Even if the barn does not comfort him

12. I spend the night around the prison yearning
Speaking to his beard that I glimpse

13. It gestures to me from the windows and nods
Like a singer there with charm

14. And if not for the termites, I would have come closer
And I would be the one combing and braiding her hair