Poem by Shmoukh Al Harbi

In a morning veiled by clouds at the moment of dawn
My eyes bade farewell to what remained of time within a place
As usual my dreams evaporated while my time was stolen
Stealing the dreams of innocence across the bridge of safety

I said, O God — O burden of time, O meaning of neglect
Features worn with exhaustion, yet depths full of tenderness
Your longing did not remind me of one who sings within me, O longing
Who can console the heart's yearning in the longing of mere seconds

The whispers awoke as a pulse that suits your heart
Just as Rawan the orphan wakes — O Rawan
I have not forgotten you, even if the heart forgets what cracks mean
And when I remember you, one tear after another appears

I ignite — all of me, wishes — while all of me is burns
I extinguish — all of me, sorrow — while all of me is gardens
I met you, O yesterday's sunset, unknowing of the sunrise
In that moment I bade farewell to my sleep and embraced the place