You mustn't beg for love.
Wave it down for the rush it gives
or the places you discover together.
Don't look for neighbors in your silence
for that noise that distracts from the breathing of your own life
though it's sleepless as a nightingale.
You shouldn't yearn for eight arms and longer breath underwater,
for the small silver smiles that expire tomorrow.
Never bow your head to loveless duties,
those mirages you were taught to chase alone
while others walked their path.
You mustn't pine for a love
you can nurse like a wound,
trace back the life in its scars,
confide in and still look after in your mind.
You mustn't mine for love or petrol or diamonds;
tend to the wealth and splendor in your laughter,
be selfish with your love.
Stock, simmer and seal it in jars for winter, all year long.
Keep your love.
Be thankful of its scent on walls and sheets,
in pantries lather in your love at home
before you decide someone else is more deserving.
Whisper "Nefsi" as you hang laundry,
feel love spread on your shoulders.
* Nefsi is an Arabic word which has a double meaning: Nefsi means ‘my soul’ and ‘my own self’.
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TEXT:
K. ELTINAÉ
NUBIAN/SUDANESE