Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Mihret Kebede

AN INTIMATE EXILE

AN INTIMATE EXILE

AN INTIMATE EXILE

‘ a personal lament, a collective grief ’

space is shapeless
place is a fiction
and fiction is a fact,
sadly.
with a thought you triumph,
in a battle you don't take part
in a solely grief,
geography is just a graph.

ቦታ ቅርጽ የለውም
ስፍራም ልብ ወለድ ነው
በባከነ ሀሳብ….ባልዘመቱበት ድል
በብቻ ቁዘማ …..በብቻ ድልድል
ሀገር ካርታ ብቻ …. ካርታም ያው ምስቅልቅል
የሀሳብ መስመር ላይ ….ሀሳብን የሚጥል !

I am in exile!
ባይተዋር ነኝ እኔ
ግዞተኛ  ቅኔ

space is shape less
a thought is space less.
in an affair I roar,
in a plot I matter,
in a play I function
I am in exile.

on the verge of the river,
a thirsty fish in water.
in a short distance
in a breath away,
a breathless dense air.

I   am   in exile!

ባይተዋር ነኝ እኔ
ግዞተኛ  ቅኔ
በገዛ መንደሬ
የተሸለምኩ መጥኔ
ትንፋሽ እያጋራሁ …..ትንፋሽ ያጣሁ ቅኔ
   እያለሁ የለሁም
   አልታያችሁም ?

with a breath that binds us,
with a scarce hope to come
in a short distance,
in a nearby vicinity,
I am in exile!       



can't you see me?

እያለሁ የለሁም
አልታያችሁም ?

I am in exile
in my own city
ባይተዋር ነኝ እኔ …. በገዛ ሀገሬ
በገዛ መንደሬ
ስደተኛ ቅኔ

a sibling to my dream
a stranger to a brother.
a distance between us
is a distance among us.
your lineage
is a misconnect,
my thought line
is inadequate.
before I am expelled,
I am a mis-placed
I am a mis-played
can't you see me?
አልታያችሁም ?

ለቤቴ እንግዳ
ለወንድሜ ባዳ
ከስደቴ በፊት….. የተሰደድኩ እኔ
ቦታዬ ላይ ሆኘ …..ቦታ ያጣ ጎኔ
ሀገሬ ላይ ሆኘ….ህብር አልባ ቅኔ
ግዞተኛ ቅኔ

I am in exile (climax) 2
ባይተዋር ነኝ እኔ
ስደተኛ  ቅኔ

on the verge of the river,
a thirsty fish in a water.
in a short distance
in a breath away,

in my own city
in my own city
ባይተዋር ነኝ እኔ በገዛ ሀገሬ
በገዛ መንደሬ
ስደተኛ ቅኔ

ቦታ ቅርጽ የለውም
ስፍራም ልብ ወለድ ነው
በባከነ ሀሳብ….ባልዘመቱበት ድል
በብቻ ቁዘማ …..በብቻ ድልድል
ሀገር ካርታ ብቻ …. ካርታም ያው ምስቅልቅል
የሀሳብ መስመር ላይ ….ሀሳብን የሚጥል !


I am in exile
I am in exile
Can’t you see me?

በገዛ መንደሬ
የተሸለምኩ መጥኔ
ትንፋሽ እያጋራሁ …..ትንፋሽ ያጣሁ ቅኔ
   እያለሁ የለሁም
   አልታያችሁም ?

I am in exile!
Close

AN INTIMATE EXILE

‘ a personal lament, a collective grief ’

space is shapeless
place is a fiction
and fiction is a fact,
sadly.
with a thought you triumph,
in a battle you don't take part
in a solely grief,
geography is just a graph.

ቦታ ቅርጽ የለውም
ስፍራም ልብ ወለድ ነው
በባከነ ሀሳብ….ባልዘመቱበት ድል
በብቻ ቁዘማ …..በብቻ ድልድል
ሀገር ካርታ ብቻ …. ካርታም ያው ምስቅልቅል
የሀሳብ መስመር ላይ ….ሀሳብን የሚጥል !

I am in exile!
ባይተዋር ነኝ እኔ
ግዞተኛ  ቅኔ

space is shape less
a thought is space less.
in an affair I roar,
in a plot I matter,
in a play I function
I am in exile.

on the verge of the river,
a thirsty fish in water.
in a short distance
in a breath away,
a breathless dense air.

I   am   in exile!

ባይተዋር ነኝ እኔ
ግዞተኛ  ቅኔ
በገዛ መንደሬ
የተሸለምኩ መጥኔ
ትንፋሽ እያጋራሁ …..ትንፋሽ ያጣሁ ቅኔ
   እያለሁ የለሁም
   አልታያችሁም ?

with a breath that binds us,
with a scarce hope to come
in a short distance,
in a nearby vicinity,
I am in exile!       



can't you see me?

እያለሁ የለሁም
አልታያችሁም ?

I am in exile
in my own city
ባይተዋር ነኝ እኔ …. በገዛ ሀገሬ
በገዛ መንደሬ
ስደተኛ ቅኔ

a sibling to my dream
a stranger to a brother.
a distance between us
is a distance among us.
your lineage
is a misconnect,
my thought line
is inadequate.
before I am expelled,
I am a mis-placed
I am a mis-played
can't you see me?
አልታያችሁም ?

ለቤቴ እንግዳ
ለወንድሜ ባዳ
ከስደቴ በፊት….. የተሰደድኩ እኔ
ቦታዬ ላይ ሆኘ …..ቦታ ያጣ ጎኔ
ሀገሬ ላይ ሆኘ….ህብር አልባ ቅኔ
ግዞተኛ ቅኔ

I am in exile (climax) 2
ባይተዋር ነኝ እኔ
ስደተኛ  ቅኔ

on the verge of the river,
a thirsty fish in a water.
in a short distance
in a breath away,

in my own city
in my own city
ባይተዋር ነኝ እኔ በገዛ ሀገሬ
በገዛ መንደሬ
ስደተኛ ቅኔ

ቦታ ቅርጽ የለውም
ስፍራም ልብ ወለድ ነው
በባከነ ሀሳብ….ባልዘመቱበት ድል
በብቻ ቁዘማ …..በብቻ ድልድል
ሀገር ካርታ ብቻ …. ካርታም ያው ምስቅልቅል
የሀሳብ መስመር ላይ ….ሀሳብን የሚጥል !


I am in exile
I am in exile
Can’t you see me?

በገዛ መንደሬ
የተሸለምኩ መጥኔ
ትንፋሽ እያጋራሁ …..ትንፋሽ ያጣሁ ቅኔ
   እያለሁ የለሁም
   አልታያችሁም ?

I am in exile!

AN INTIMATE EXILE

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère