Before I ever married
my mother
used to have
nightmares.
Her fearful screams shook me
I would wake her, ask her
'What happened?'
Blank-eyed she would stare at me.
She couldn't remember her dreams.
One day a nightmare woke her
but she did not scream
She held me tight in silent fear
I asked her
'What happened?'
She opened her eyes and thanked the heavens
'I dreamt that you were drowning'.
She said,
'And I jumped into the river to save you'.
That night she lightning
killed our buffalo and my fiance.
Then one night my mother slept
And I stayed up
Watching her open and shut her fist
She was trying to hold on to something
Failing, and willing herself to hold on again.
I woke her
But she refused to tell me her dream.
Since that day
I have not slept soundly.
I moved to the other courtyard.
Now I and my mother both scream
through our nightmares.
And if someone asks us
we just tell them
we can´t remember our dreams.
[Translated from urdu to english by Rukhsana Ahmed]
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Took me 2-3 readings, and reading of your biography to actually comprehend the real meaning. Very well conveyed.