And who are you?

As soon as the revolutions of the Arab Spring started, the Arab leaders started to unveil their true faces and show how they see their people.

They also started to give those stupid speeches which made them look illiterate and immature. There was one who said to his people in revolt “The train has left you behind”. A second one described them as “Thugs”, a third one as “Germs”, a fourth one as “Rats” and a fifth one as “Agents”. But what drew my attention the most was that question from one leader to his people “who are you?” This poem comes to ask those leaders the same question:

And who are you?

And who are you, leaders, ‘may your mothers lose you’?

And who are you, ‘may your right hand be paralyzed’?

You are those who ruled but failed to deliver justice

Therefore you shouldn’t feel safe and you shouldn’t sleep

Your people revolted against you today

And you are chased everywhere

One of you was pushed away here and another taken to court there

One was pulled from the drain-pipes somewhere else

One was toasted here and in another place, the people are preparing

For one of you an end that never happened to anyone before

It is not only that you missed the train

But also the time has forgotten you

Even the rats have a role in their lives

But you, what is yours?

If you were rats

I would spray you with extermination materials

If you were germs

I would disinfect the country from your epidemics

If you were thieves or bandits

I would open the prison doors to welcome you

If you were just gangs of terrorists

I would make you an example to others

If you were just agents to foreign countries

I would charge you with treason and take you to court

But you are all that I said and more

Therefore, you deserve all that I said and more

You all deserve a sea to rise over you

Then to open wide and swallow you

You all deserve a volcano to roar and explode

Then to run to you and wash you away

You all deserve a destroying twister

To take you away

You all deserve a rain of fire

To drop over your head and burn you

Wait, you deserve more than that

You deserve a punishment beyond all imagination

You deserve a little orphan girl whose parents you killed

To lift her hands to the sky and ask for God’s vengeance

***

Poetry by: Tarif Youssef-Agfha

An Expatriate Arab Syrian Writer and Poet

Washington DC

Friday 16 March 2012

http://sites.google.com/site/tarifspoetry