Poem by Sehma Helaa

The restless feet

Torn between two remote shores
One is rocky, the other is bare
A flock of thirsty birds here
A bunch of hungry pets there
Oh god which ship to sail
when both shores are nowhere

Weary of flying with the mast of a drunken sailor
And asking the wind for direction
when the wind embraces failure
I know the wave of resurrection

How far is the journey
my feet start to bleed
who is the judge and who is the attorney
which sea I have to choose
And which advice do I need

Had I chosen the first shore
The flowers there, would fade
The vulnerable birds would perish

Had I chosen the second shore
My pets would starve and wither
Ah God smear wisdom in my core
So I would stop living hither and thither

sihem cherif (sehma ) June 2019