I am going to speak my way out of this :
First of all ,
An apology
As you scan the page, skimming through the Latin letters,
You may assume it is English that you are reading,
It is not …
And no, you have not
Suddenly acquired the European language
You always knew in your heart you will speak
-The one with a lilt of medieval flavor ,
Soaked in blood and marred in the mystery of an ancient death
No ;
Nor this a divine realm you’re entering ,
Enchanted into, through song, or hymn or poem …
Through the power of an ancient truth that speaks in tongues ,
No ;
To the opposite, if you could see any opposites !
But i assure you :
As you read the words and letters of this “typed-on-my iPhone” text ,
You will start to erase them and then, replace them
With your voice that utters …
And as you do so
They shall not make sense to you,
But they’re all yours now
And that’s all that matters …
Language is a bounty of colonial wars,
Once the wise man said
And that’s why maybe
You hear your voice rings in an un-familiar tone;
Don’t worry …
It’s your own
You have made it!
———
Hafiz Kheir : Was born 1968 in Khartoum Sudan and moved to the UK in 1992. He is a writer translator and a filmmaker a graduate of the Film & Television School at The London Institute (June 2000). He studied drama and theatre from 1982 to 1986 at the Youth Palace Omdurman Sudan.
