Samih al-Qasim

1939 / palestine

Bats

Bats on my windows
suck in my words
Bats at the entrance to my house
behind newspaper , in corners
trail my footsteps ,
observing every movement of my head

From the back of the chair, bats watch me
They trail me in the streets
watching my eyes pause
on books, on young girls' legs . . .
they watch and watch

On my neighbor's balcony , bats,
and electronic gadgets hidden in the walls
Now bats are on the verge
of suicide
I am digging a road to daylight .
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