from My Dreams Often Humble Themselves
1
I want nothing more than wings
or my soul to cease yearning for flight.
2
I want to cry out with all my might
without waiting for any question.
3
I want to free myself from everything that keeps my tears
from their deferred goal
or their final dot on the line.
4
I want to sing
without being obliged to compose words,
improvise a tune,
or raise my voice.
5
I want an earth
whose map I can draw
in accordance with the topography of my face,
cleaving its rivers and seas
by way of my tears.
6
I want another earth
I can conceal in my chest
whenever I want to leave the house
without an abya.
7
I want a tree that sings,
a sparrow that makes a truce with the wind,
a sea that writes its memoirs each dawn,
and a passport that is accepted at all airports.
About this poem
This poem, representing Kuwait, is part of The Written World – our collaboration with BBC radio to broadcast a poem from every single nation competing in London 2012.
Learning Resources
Kuwait: The Written World
Classroom resource about the poem My Dreams Often Humble Themselves by Kuwaiti poet Saadiah Mufarreh. Activities in this resource are aimed at pupils in upper secondary school (S4–S6).
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