Venice masks

Tuesday 4 May 2021

Branches That Thirst - Limam Boicha

Beneath the shadow of a thorn tree
two naked people
are shuddering with thirst
while their oasis
lies half a desert away

In Santiago Bay
someone beats a drum
and chants a rain charm
in Hassaniya or Amharic
in Mandinka or Spanish

From the Canaletas fountain
a message in Catalan springs
with a map and directions
saying this lost camel
not yet branded by fire
can become a trough of water

Limam Boicha (born 1972) Western Sahara
Translated by Tom Boll and The Poetry Translation Workshop

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