My Work - Poetry

Liberation

(To my brothers, Dr. Qais, Dr. Isam and Dr. Nizar
And my sisters, Dr. Azza and Sawsan)

What is gone is gone,
Nor sorrow nor reproach.
The anger in our hearts has subsided
From sickness and fatigue,
And long years wasted in a fruitless pursuit.
We sought learning in a world ruled by ignorance
And led by forgeries and lies.
We dreamt about righteousness
Whose eyes were plucked and crushed
By injustice and robbery.
We cherished love in our hearts
And were punished with wrath, and prejudice and hate.
We sang poems with lofty tunes
As though they were pouring out from the throats of nightingales.
But all the echo that we heard was scornful laughter
And after half a century slipped through our fingers
We are left with a murmuring heart.
O life-long friends! Listen to me!
In this world, agony and pleasure have lost their meaning.
Only the acceptance of the Almighty is a worthy aim
And He, by His mercy, will not turn down a plea.

Dubai, 1990