حدود

For a long time, I have hated the idea of borders

since I was a child

in elementary school

when I woke up one morning

and asked about my older sister

they said:

She got married

far away... far away

I got out of bed

and crawled on the ground

dragging my father's big shoe

I struck the distance

that separated me from my sister

which I always wanted to break with a shoe strike

one night

our geography teacher knocked on our door

he said to my father

Your son is lazy

he doesn't understand distances and borders

my father got angry

he called me

he brought the geography book

I sat in front of him

like someone sitting in front of a mountain

who only needs to pull one thread from its garment

to explode

he opened the book nervously

he chose the Tigris River

and shouted:

Where are the borders of this river?

I lowered my head

and did not answer

he shouted once more

I remained silent

he raised his fist

high

high

then brought it down forcefully on the Tigris River

until its waters splashed on me

and entered my eyes

and soaked my clothes

I ran away

he called me

I did not turn

and while the multiplication table was near him

I quickly grabbed the number two

and threw it at me

I bent down

so I escaped

he threw the number four

it hit me

he embedded it in my body

and left me to carry it with me

to school

when the teacher asked for the sum of two numbers

I wouldn't raise my finger

I would lift my shirt

take out the number four embedded in my flesh

wipe the blood off it

and stick it on the board

the children would wet themselves in fear

and the teacher would send me out to the street

now

after I have grown up

and everyone has confirmed that my body has become filled with numbers

they married me

my wife often takes me

to the eye doctor

I hear her asking him:

When is the next water withdrawal appointment?

the doctor whispers to her:

Whenever you hear

the Tigris River

is about to

dry up.......