Juliette Rossant



Edward Said

Edward W. Said He offers me a bowl of dust.
What is this for? I say.
For promises to keep from doing harm.
Where should I put it? I say.
In a book, under your pillow, in your garden,
Now, I read, blowing dust from the pages, irritating my eyes, my throat, my skin.
As I turn a page, my fingers smear the moistened dust
and the letters spread from one word to the next.
How can I clean up all this dust? I say.
Do you know how?

(September 25, 2003)

Listen to "Prayer" as you read the poem

Click here, find the link "Play This Performance" on the page (to play with RealAudio or Real Player), and advance 30 minutes exactly to listen to the exquisite clarinet solo "Prayer," a tribute to the late Dr. Edward W. Said by Kinan Azmeh with his group Dialogue on the Millennium Stage of the Kennedy Center on February 27, 2004, an event co-sponsored by the Middle East Institute.

Listen to "Passport" as you read the poem

Click here to listen to "Passport," a tribute to the late Dr. Edward W. Said by Marcel Khalife -- whose son Rami Khalife often plays with Kinan Azmeh.



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