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The 2012 Aldeburgh Poetry Festival runs for the 2nd-4th November, and for the next week, Ink Sweat & Tears is featuring poems on the theme \u2018Poetry as a Lifeline\u2019 which is the subject of the IS&T-supported Discussions and Short Takes this year.\u00a0 Today\u2019s poem is from Ghassan Zaqtan who is appearing at the Festival.\u00a0 Find out more about the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival here<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wolves<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The birds\u2019 departure from his heart<\/p>\n leaves the plains white<\/p>\n where the story is white<\/p>\n and sleep is white<\/p>\n and silence is the caller\u2019s icon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A laugh of sand will sprout when the door is opened<\/p>\n from fear\u2019s angle, a hymn<\/p>\n for the grand winter, and the voices<\/p>\n of those who left long ago will jump like grasshoppers<\/p>\n when the door is opened.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wait, wait a moment<\/p>\n for us to dry a moment<\/p>\n there\u2019s in our trace<\/p>\n a reckless lament<\/p>\n and a ceramic bird\u2026<\/p>\n and watch for the necklaces on the ceiling\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why don\u2019t you turn the lights on<\/p>\n or be happy with sitting<\/p>\n <\/p>\n and watch for the fruits on the ground\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your voice in my room exhausts the silence<\/p>\n the silence of pots<\/p>\n the silence of shelves<\/p>\n the silence of writing<\/p>\n the silence of lighting<\/p>\n and the silence of survival<\/p>\n which I have been gathering for years<\/p>\n with the patience of one who\u2019s alone with the garden in summer<\/p>\n or one who retrieves absence<\/p>\n the absence<\/p>\n that never stops.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n