Tarek Eltayeb

Even though there were so many things to talk about from today (Pancake Parades, the Broadcast, a quinoa-filled potluck), I wanted to tell you about Tarek Eltayeb because his soul was gentle and he smiled large and sincerely and leaned forward, eager and interested in conversation. he told me about his wife, her love of music, how he recently bought her a piano so she could make music live in their home. and he told me about his poems, his paintings, and these are a few i want to share with you because they are lovely, lovely, lovely:

First Kisses

From a distance, I stopped and gazed at them
In the garden:
A girl and a boy
She was kissing him
And each time she kissed him he’d wipe his mouth
After the final kiss, she took his hand
He laughed
And this time he kissed her
While their hands were intertwined
My heart sung
A cry of joy just about
Escaped from me; it nearly ruined
A resplendent ritual

Vienna; May 21st, 2001
(translated from Arabic by Kareem James Abu Zeid;
from “Takhlisat (In Clear)”. Irhab al-ayn al-bayda. Poetry, Merit Publishing House, Cairo 2002)