MOHAMED ELLAGHAFI
ONE KISS IS ENOUGH
One kiss is enough,
and twenty embraces
to awaken
the youth of the cave* anew.
I told her:
Strike me twice upon the cheek,
so I may believe
that I am alive.
She said:
Touch my heart...
and it will be healed of its affliction.
I surged,
like a sea,
and poured into her eyes.
She said:
"I have embraced you."
I replied:
"Forgive me...
the eloquence of love
sometimes stammers.
Spare me my tongue,
and listen
to the thunder within me."
*(The youth of the cave) refers to the "People of the Cave" (Ashab al-Kahf) in Islamic and Christian tradition, symbolizing rebirth after long slumber.
Translated by: Hassane Yarti