طلال مداح - رموشك

Filius Dei VI

I never told you this, but every morning the sun rises a little slower now,
like it’s searching the horizon for the place you used to stand.
The flower smells the same, the wind still hums,
but the air forgot how to hold your name.
I still set two cups on the table.
I still leave the window open in case the wind carries you back.
I still fall asleep to the echo of your laugh,
soft, cruel, and impossibly gentle.
You were never the whole world.
You were just the part that made the rest worth waking up for.
And now the world keeps turning,
beautiful, empty, mercilessly bright,
while I learn how to live in a universe
that learned how to live without you.
I love you.
I miss you.
I’m okay.
I’m not.
Thank you for being my everything
for exactly the amount of time we were allowed.

Jewish Town (Krakow Ghetto, Winter '41)

Itzhak Perlman