wanted for a false charge
Dead or alive
I’ve taken this world seriously
I illustrated that an algorithm with two unknowns
Cannot account for the tangle of two goats’ horns
And that those who fall dead in wars and the falling apple
are completely unrelated, Newton
My parting beloved will neither come back with historical movements and philosophies,
Nor will her shadow make a hole through the wall if it passes at light speed.
Honorable SKY!
This person standing before you now
Has been entangled in an old game
Which is stiffer? A stone that does not make circles in a stagnant pool
or a sound that you release which makes no echo
I asked no one to come to this world
I’m guiltless, and my charge is fraud
I’ve just kindled the fire of war,
So all the forest’s butterflies sought refuge in me.

Radhouane Ajroudi, a Tunisian poet and scenographer; has two books published in Tunisia and Egypt. He also has several critical writings and many of his writings have been published in Arabic and international magazines. He has also participated in several poetry festivals around the world.