The Little Rock Poem by Elia Abu Madi

As it shrouded the White City,
The star-studded Night heard a groan
Forthwith, it bent over the city, as to catch some faint whispers,
While maintaining a long silence, listening intently
It saw its people, like the Cave Sleepers, sound asleep
With no noise of any kind whatsoever.
It also saw the Dam behind the City
Well-built, holding a vast body of water
Desert-like in appearance

The groan was coming from a little rock in the Dam,
Grumbling and muttering discontentedly about the blind fates.
Who am I in this universe? It questioned,
I am neither something of importance
Nor a dust particle flowing in the air
Neither alabaster to be turned into a graceful form
Nor a rock to be fashioned into an edifice
Neither soil that sips the water
Nor water that irrigates beautiful gardens

I am neither a pearl worn by a beautiful girl
To adorn herself with
And engage in a contest with another lovely female
I am not even a tear, an eye
A beauty mark, or a rosy cheek

I am no more than a mere gray, insignificant rock,
Lacking beauty, bereft of wisdom and acuity
So let me exit this existence peacefully
For I can no longer abide my being

Having said that, it left its place and fell
Denouncing the stars, the night, and the sky
No sooner had dawn parted its eyelids
Than the entire White City was under the flood