Laila

take the night in your arms
lift her broken body
and put it on the stretcher
made of cloth and broomsticks

you’ll feel how light the night is
when you carry her without effort
you’ll see how tiny she is
when she fits in a refrigerator

upon the mortuary table
the night is but a small thing
upon the cold steel surface
she’s as brief as a memory

close her eyes with warm water
wash her face with Sidr leaves
kiss her hands with camphor
tuck her sleep with the kafan

it’s just a return journey
this little swallow has to make
it’s just a flight back to spring
a soar to the green bosom
from which she first bloomed

* In Arabic the word Laila means “night”, “dark” and the name is often given to girls born during the
night, signifying “daughter of the night”.

—

Francisco Castro Videla is a writer & translator from Buenos Aires, Argentina. His work has been published in literary journals in Argentina, Spain and the United States.