He Is Calm, and I Am Too

Mahamoud Darwish

He is calm, And I am too. He drinks lemon tea, And I drink coffee. (this is the only thing different about us) He, like me, wears a loose striped shirt, And I stare, like him, in a monthly magazine. He does not see me as I eye him discreetly; I do not see him as he eyes me discreetly. He is calm, And I am too. He asks the waiter for something; I ask the waiter for something. A black cat passes between us, And I touch its night of fur; He touches its night of fur. I do not tell him: The sky is clear today, More blue; He does not tell me: the sky is clear today. He is the seen and the one who sees; I am the seen and the one ho sees. I move my left leg; He moves his right leg. I hum the melody of a song; He hums the melody of a song. I wonder: Is he the mirror wherein I see myself? Then I look towards his eyes, and I do not see him. I leave the coffee shop in a hurry, I think: Maybe he is a killer, Or maybe he is only a man passing through And though I am a killer He Is Afraid, and I Am Too