voyage, oh voyage!
the final fire that ravages the air
unveils the soil on which
we walk aimlessly
and tirelessly
the hypocrisy of the strong protects us
from home. I prefer leaves
yellowed by the rain to false
victories
so I listen to the wind. It's good to live
where there's dying, where the legends
go out... our tombs will be as
light as angels' wings
let's not bother to fear those
who insult our insubordination
the conquered will always have the
last word
I live in an invisible that has neither
bathroom nor entryway.
the invisible has no owner.
the dream never has walls,
and it's never cold there
... and my shadows stretch
over my body as it sleeps,
and the sky stops being blue, and
the light waits
Grade levels
10-12 / Sec. 4 & 5 / CEGEP 1
Moods
Common Poetic Terms and Forms
Bibliographical info
Etel Adnan, "absence. displacement." from Time. Copyright © 2019 by Etel Adnan, English translation Copyright © by Sarah Riggs. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Source: Time (Nightboat Books, 2019).
