My life is a gift Given to me On my zero birthday. Today I pulled out the ribbon, Unwrapped the Box And found lots of things, Ordinary, But also wonderfull: A watch of gold, And of gold Is every hour in one’s life; A jack-in-the box Which makes you laugh Or scares you to death, it depends; Two beautiful baby-dolls, The first a toy, The second is not; A prisoner’s crown and the shackles of a king; I also found a Jack of Spades You turn him upside down He stays the same; I found books; I found a long video tape labeled ‘Fifty years of conflict between the Zionists and the Arabs’; I found hell in an inkpot, And heaven in an inkpot too; I found an Arab horse on a race track Covered with glue; I found a stove with no flames; At the bottom of the box, I found a white card with my name on it, The rest has not yet been written. ... I did not know what to do with all these things! Oh, God, thank you, But why the trouble? ... I put them all back in the box, I closed it, Wrapped it, Tied the ribbon, I threw it skywards and up it went, The gift turned into a host of flying doves That I will follow forever. Why did I do that? I really do not know! _____________ Translation: Radwa Ashour