The Load ~ (for Mahmoud Darwish)

I carry a load and
Now I am afraid of doorways,
The passage makes new parts
Of my condition bleed-

Her pains, I am carrying
Her, her load creaks in my
Bones so that they snap inside
The flesh of me.

Stone burnt in sun-
Water made thin on the
Scorched ground of Gaza,
Hurt, as ice moves on the
Ebb of the tide,
Ice melts on the worn tongue.

I ask her to leave me alone
So I am not so hurt by
Her sudden objections
As she jabs her nails

Into my side and rips in
Between my ribs, the nettles
Of viens wrapped around them,
Stabbing and stabbing.

Rain that must dance
With the winds,
As pebbles rush back
With the waves,
Paper runs from the flames,

I gave my life to her unknowing;

To her my life I gave.