Mahmoud Darwish

13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008 / Palestinian

Nothing Impresses Me

A passenger on the bus says…
nothing impresses me.
Not the radio, the morning newspapers,
or even fortresses on hills.
I long for a weep.
The bus driver says:
Wait until we reach the station,
and weep alone as you can.
A lady says: Me too.
Nothing impresses me.
I spoiled my son upon my grave,
he enjoyed it and slept without saying goodbye.
A university student says:
Me neither. Nothing impresses me.
I studied archeology without finding
an identity in stones. Am I really me?
A solider says: Me too.
Nothing impresses me.
I guard a ghost that always haunts me.
The angry driver replies:
We are close to our last stop,
get ready to leave.
They scream:
We want what is beyond the station, so go.
.As for me, I say: Drop me here.
I am like them,
nothing impresses me.
But I am tired from traveling.
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