Versione :

The Sea Swell

to Abder


How do you force that large heart in that thin soul.

In your eyes there’s the fresh sea of the Mediterranean,
the silent struggle between hard-headed people and a hostile environment.
Your arms hug very quickly Abder,
but you won’t sell your soul.
not for a hug, let alone for a hamburger, or donut.
But that hug will ultimately wear you out, Abder,
and even this sea that is ruining itself.
At the end of the day,
these martyrdoms, small and large, in Algeria and everywhere,
will not be enough
and I will meet you in France with the devilish memories in your hands
and you will tell me, in French,
that you cannot forget the memories that you hugged with a heart that once wanted to be,
and was,
big.
That strong beat has no place here, Abder,
even though you do not want to accept this.
This sly sea promised you the whole world in the palms of your hands,
and you remained with your hands open
despite the taunting smiles and the blows.
That big heart shouldn’t be here,
and you don’t believe that it could have another place elsewhere,
kept purposely for it.

In your eyes there’s the little house by the sea
where you saw great things.
But that house has been occupied by others now,
and your place is here,
on this side,
feeling the swell of the sea in your thin/small chest.
and listening to the weak waves rise from the other side
of the Mediterranean.