Their hooves inscribe a thousand branches on the earth
A tree of tracks and shadows, growing fast
There’s no time to think
Which doe to choose
The hyena must decide in haste
Who will live and who will die
She chooses at random
The hyena does not know the deer
There’s no enmity here, no competition
If it were just another day
The hyena might have picked another
Even after the deer is dead
The hyena is incapable of explaining her choice
Yet I believe the hyena is aware
Of the balance of fear
If the herd
Runs, not from her, but towards her
They crush her, bone and all
If only the deer change the direction of their flight I also believe the herd is aware of its abilities
Yet each doe fears she'll be abandoned by her sisters
If she runs at the common foe
So she abandons her sisters
And each doe thinks the same
The deer do not fear the hyena much
They only doubt themselves
Each deer lives and dies alone
Yet, there are moments
When God is kind to the world:
A young deer darts at the hyena without thinking
The rest follow
Like rain
In moments such as these
You feel it being born
A breathing dawn
Or a baby speaking eloquently
In the cradle
I’m not writing an allegory
On Revolution
And the meek empowered
I’m simply stating a scientific fact
The hyena is weaker than her victims
And she’s very much the coward
--- Mourid Barghouti
Translated by Tamim Al-barghouti