Live Encounters Arab Poetry & Writing 16th Anniversary Volume Five
November- December 2025
A Shadow in the Cafe, poems by Omar Shahryar.
Translated from Arabic by Dr. Salwa Gouda.
A Shadow in the Cafe
The cafe is noisy
And I am sad
Sitting alone with
Your absence
My lungs search for your exhale
Which perfumed the place
In our only meeting.
The music
That flowed from your fingers
Onto the table
The sun has dried.
The cup is drowned in its tears
After the warmth of your palms
Seeped from it.
Your white shadow
Could not bear the prying eyes of passersby
And withdrew in silence.
Only your scent
Still adorns the air
And fills your empty chair with
Your fragility
I complained to it about your silence
So heavy with words
About the cruelty of your last message
When you alluded to the walls
That block the light
From the gardens of joy.
The walls are fragile, my dear
Fragile and utterly feeble
Like a history doomed to collapse.
Scenes Fallen from the Wind’s Memory
1
No need for morphine
A kiss is enough for me
Just one kiss
To eradicate the pain
That has taken residence in my mouth
In your absence.
2
The night is our virtual nest
We color its walls with longing
And pillow our heads on our silent yearnings.
3
There is a light in the heart
That neither fades nor dissipates
It remains suspended like a distant star
Guiding an old sailor
To the maps of passion.
A translucent light
Mending the demolished walls
Expelling darkness from the cracks
Then sleeps peacefully
Beneath the fingernails of a child
Grasping its mother’s breast.
4
The poems I bury beneath my skin
By day
Their wailing wakes me
Every night
Like a grief that defies oblivion.
5
The surface is deceptive, my friends
The surface is deceptive and smooth
Slipperier than you think
And non-flammable
Despite the raging fires beneath it.
The fire does not go out
And the snow does not melt.
6
Yesterday I befriended a shadow
Of an old sailor
He was distributing kisses equally
To the taverns
And cursing couples
With harsh words.
7
Every day
Something of me falls away
On the deserted road.
At the journey’s end
I will look closely
Into the mirror
And see nothing.
© Omar Shahryar
Omar Shahryar is an Egyptian poet and literary critic. He is currently a PhD candidate at Cairo University, having recently completed his master’s degree with excellence. He has published two poetry collections (in 2017 and 2022) and has contributed to the literary scene through editorial work, critical articles, and participation in collaborative academic books and conferences. His work focuses on both his own creative poetry and critical analysis of other authors.
Dr Salwa Gouda is an accomplished Egyptian literary translator, critic, and academic affiliated with the English Language and Literature Department at Ain Shams University. Holding a PhD in English literature and criticism, Dr. Gouda pursued her education at both Ain Shams University and California State University, San Bernardino. She has authored several academic works, including Lectures in English Poetry and Introduction to Modern Literary Criticism, among others. Dr. Gouda also played a significant role in translating The Arab Encyclopedia for Pioneers, a comprehensive project featuring poets, philosophers, historians, and literary figures, conducted under the auspices of UNESCO. Recently, her poetry translations have been featured in a poetry anthology published by Alien Buddha Press in Arizona, USA. Her work has also appeared in numerous international literary magazines, further solidifying her contributions to the field of literary translation and criticism.