Mourid Baghouti (1944-2021) was a poet from Deir Ghassana, a village outside of Ramallah in Occupied Palestine. After studying at Cairo University, he remained in Egypt and became a leading figure in literary circles there. He is best known to English readers through his 1997 memoir, I Saw Ramallah, which reflected on memory, return, and daily life in the Occupied West Bank. Throughout his years in Cairo, Barghouti remained a steadfast advocate of Palestinian liberation and leader within radical Egyptian movements. He was married to the Egyptian scholar, novelist and activist, Radwa Ashour, with whom he had one son, the poet and activist, Tamim Al-Barghouthi. These short poems are from his 1987 collection, Ṭāl al-shatāt (The Diaspora Has Gone On for a Long Time).
Interpretation
A poet sits in a cafe, writing.
The old lady thinks he’s writing a letter to his mother
The teenager supposes he’s writing to his beloved
The child imagines he’s doodling
The businessman assumes he’s drawing up a contract
The tourist guesses he’s writing a postcard
The bureaucrat believes he’s counting his debts
The secret policeman approaches him very slowly
Essential Components
Coca Cola. Chase Manhattan. General Motors.
Christian Dior. McDonald’s. Shell.
Dynasty. Hilton International. Saint James.
Kentucky Fried Chicken. Tear Gas.
Billy Clubs. Secret Police.
As Ibn Khaldun said, “Among the Arabs, these are the essential components of the State.”
Two Women
One knows all the silver shops of Paris and complains.
One cries every Thursday over five graves and thinks nothing of it.