Lost
in deserts I do not know,
the water has sunk,
and I search for it.
I keep company with a dog
who eats the soil of its land,
never abandoning it
despite thirst
and sorrow.
I wait
for whoever comes behind the mirage,
and wonder—
what is it
that the crow circles?
Its most precious possession
is water
mixed with earth.
If you want a drink,
you must wring the soil.
And if you choose renunciation,
the crow will teach you
how to bury
yourself
in earth.
SALEM MOKHTAR
Salem Mokhtar is an Algerian poet whose work explores existential imagery, symbolic landscapes, and the tension between presence and disappearance.