RAMADAN

BEARDED CREATURE IN THE REARVIEW OF THE WHIP

BEFORE YOU EVEN REACHED THE SANDHOLM CENTER

YOUR MOM WAS A PHOTOGRAPH ON THE WALL

AND AN URN PACKED WITH SLAG AND FLY ASH

WE FASTED THAT MONTH AND BOUGHT A SHEEP AT BAZAAR WEST

YOU DEPOSITED THE MONEY WE GOT FROM OUR AUNTS

AND SAID IT’S NOT DECENT

FOR A KID TO HAVE SO MUCH MONEY

BUT I AM PROUD OF YOU

AS YOU STAND THERE AND GRILL HALAL

NOT JUST A REFUGEE WITH A BIG BEARD AND TRACKSUIT

NOW A DRAGONFLY LANDS ON YOUR ARM

Translated from the Danish

Notes:

Read the Danish-language original, “RAMADAN,” and the translator’s note by Jordan Barger.

Source: Poetry (March 2023)