Ants

A thread of red ants

moves between the door and my bed

I rise from sleep and grope,

then crush the ants

and sleep again and wake

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ to find the thread

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ of red ants between bed

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ and door has grown

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ to a thick rope

Yusuf Al-Saíigh

Modern Arabic Poetry: An Anthology. Ed. by Salma Khadra Jayyusi NY: Columbia U. Press.