{"id":309,"date":"2021-06-01T18:28:11","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T18:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/?p=309"},"modified":"2021-06-01T18:28:13","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T18:28:13","slug":"this-poem-was-written-on-22-april-2002-in-the-wake-of-palestine-being-bombarded-by-isreal-and-the-invasion-of-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/?p=309","title":{"rendered":"This poem was written on 22 April 2002, in the wake of Palestine being bombarded by Isreal and the invasion of Iraq."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A poem for Palestine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This world which has conceived<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So much misery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her bloated womb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must be blown up by<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A suicide bomber<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An American bomber<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An English bomer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sa\u2019adam Hossein\u2019s<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weapons of mass destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those humans<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who grew up<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the gas chambers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the Auschwitz camps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must be frozen enmasse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our opaque eyes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

which stare at the TV screens<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day and night<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In disbelief<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In horrid<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fear<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In indifference<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In admiration<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the scale of destruction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the holocaust<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of olive groves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And orange groves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must be washed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In clean, cool waters<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of an unpolluted<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highland spring<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In planet Mars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our brains<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entangled<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the barbed wires<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of words<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humanity, justice, retribution<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brotherhood, sisterhood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compassion, peace<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a steel dictionary<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not comprehend<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scale of human savagery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our hearts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our machine-made hearts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Synthetic-made,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nylon-made hearts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ache no more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And our opaque eyes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which look for silk<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a steel dictionary<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not see anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And our thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swim in pools of blood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a world with no eyesight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No heartache<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sterile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our machine-made thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media-made thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corrupt thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George W. Bush-made thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blairite-made thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thatcherite-made thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Made in the civilised world<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thoughts which are not allowed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To think of a world<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which overnight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creates foes from anonymity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foes who were not terrorists<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fundamentalists<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suicide bombers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When on this side,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foes, who once<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other side,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aim to destroy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The civilised world<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The birthplace of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The atom bomb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weapons of mass destruction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The centre of mass destruction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And barbed wires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Him, who<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One cool summer night<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turned from a tamed scholar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fully equipped<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fully trained with American weaponry<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Into a foe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And brought with him<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Down the whole world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I, who in normal circumstances<\/p>\n\n\n\n

am a normal, below average cirtizen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is cornered to make friends<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With George W. Bush<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And ally with him<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or declared his enemy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And eligible for destruction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And my synthetic thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Machine-made thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are ordered to shape<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To decide and cast vote<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one candidate<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Mogabe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or Robert Mogabeh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And my eyes are ordered not to see<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And not to register<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The haolocaust of Palestine<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the refugee camps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the woman<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is a refugee<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her own home<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who scatters dead soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On her head and wails<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For her son<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whom she cannot marry off<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And whom, he would not<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bring her grandchildren<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And whose naighbours<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have been massacred enmasse<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the fully trained<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Survivors of the concentration camps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not victims<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No more<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But occupiers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murderers of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olive groves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And orange groves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the subterranean waters<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And foetuses in the womb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of every Palestinian woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And my tamed mind<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is ordered<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get ready for the timing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When, after a barbeque<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the White House<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George W. Bush<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a jolly mood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decides to call<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Right Honourable Tony Brair<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To both agree<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the timing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To bomb the Iraqi people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, God<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From wherever you are<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please demand<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That your Messangers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christ, Moses and Mohammad<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convene their general assembly<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And give their followers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearts to feel<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eyes to see<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brains to think<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Order them to add<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A clause in their declaration<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aimed at George W. Bush<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To soften his stand<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To let me decide between<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Him and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tony Brair<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Him and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Margaret Thacher<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Him and Atiel Sharon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benjamin Netynyahu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Him and Sa\u2019adam Hossein<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Him and Khomeini<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 22 April 2002<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A poem for Palestine This world which has conceived So much misery In her bloated womb Must be blown up by A suicide bomber An American bomber An English bomer Or Sa\u2019adam Hossein\u2019s Weapons...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=309"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":310,"href":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309\/revisions\/310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rouhi-shafii.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}