Days of 1933 by Khaled Mattawa
A man walks down a street and sees a young woman. He turns around and follows her. He does this for a while surprised by the unexpected return of youth. In the depot he loses her among the crowds. A train arriving from the country, farmers, sacks of mangoes, ducks and chickens. It’s been many years since the last time he ended up here, since he felt happy to be in a crowd. But soon he begins to feel foolish and old because every day farmers bring their mangoes and chickens to Alexandria, and everyday a young woman boards a train and is never seen again.
From “Ismailia Eclipse” by Khaled Mattawa.
(The Sheep Meadow Press: 82 pp., $12.95)
Copyright 1997 Reprinted by permission.
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