"The Corpse" by Sargon Boulus

They tortured the corpse

until dawn broke down

and the rooster rose up in protest.

They thrust nails in its flesh.

They whipped it with electric cables.

They dangled it from the ceiling fan.

When the torturers were finally tired

and took a break,

the corpse moved its little finger,

opened its wounded eyes,

and muttered something.

Was it asking for water?

Did it perhaps ask for bread?

Was it cursing them or asking for more?

What did the corpse want?

Translated by Sinan Antoon

From Sargon Bulus, Azma ukhra li-kalb al-qabila (Another Bone for the Tribe's Dog) (Beirut/Baghdad: Dar al-Jamal, 2008)