Bakhbookh*

(To my granddaughter Hanouf)
I centered the coin on my left palm
And blew on it
Then covered it with my other palm
And said to her : "Say bakhbookh !"
She said: "Bah booh"
I opened my hands
Where is the coin? ..Where?..
It vanished in a wink..
She laughed .. astonishment gleamed in her eyes.
She was – may Allah protect her – less than two years old.
"Bakhbookh"
And our blown coin vanished.
She went and fetched her big doll,
with the velvet dress..
She put it in my hands and said : "Bah booh"
I said with a hoarse voice :
" This doll is too beautiful to be made disappeare,
O soul of my soul !"
*Bakhbookh is a word used in some Arab countries in a make-believe game of making things vanish, like abracadabra
Dubai, 2004