Be the Monster // Kun al-Wa7ash
by Mark Khairallah
Don’t
look at me. Dark
skin, dark hair, dark
black eyes. No pearl
wreath. No glint of
light at all
sharp teeth, all sharp
corners, all nooks &
no crannies. Ta3
w naam 3a soudri
darling. Feel the double
beat thrum my chest,
each drum a name:
Terrorist, fag. Monster.
Kun
al-Wa7ash. My body bare
naked: dark. Maftou7
bas mish faati7. Opening, still.
Read the lines rote
on my thigh. Here, your
entrance: soliloquy
in thrust
stage, 2anbala
of words. You run
your fingers through my hair: rubble. Run
your lines into me into
my ear. Finger
pointing at each call. Your exit,
here. Your curtain,
here. Your bow,
here.
At this, my
body erupts
in flowers:
s2al cum.
Guide to Arabizi:
7=ح harsh h sound [pronounced back in the throat]
3=ع glottal flip [also pronounced in the back of the throat]
2=ء or ق glottal stop [like in the English: uh-oh (depends on dialect)]
Translations:
Ta3 w naam 3a soudri = Come and sleep on my breast
Kun al-Wa7ash = Be the monster
Maftou7 bas mish faati7 = Open but not light (pun)
2anbala = Bomb
S2al cum = Ask how many