Wadih Sa'adeh, 'Names of the Dead'

[duathir.livejournal.com]

Names of the Dead

He opened his hand and counted on his fingers
the names of the dead.
He used the fingers of both hands.
He added to the list
the colours around him,
the branches of the tree in front of his house,
the trees along the road
and the leaves of the shrubs.

Before he went to bed
he added his own name.

by Wadih Sa'adeh, translated by Anne Fairbairn