Have you received the news of massacres?

Have you received the news of massacres?

By Tarif Youssef Agha

Have you received the news of massacres?

Every face then is unveiled

The people then are separated

Between families of the slaughtered and those of the slaughters

This one is looking for survivors

But also preparing coffins and graves for the martyrs

And that one is celebrating by dancing and distributing free cookies

And by singing low class songs

A team is singing ‘Oh God, we only count on you’

While the whole world fights against it

Another team is slaughtering and burning children

And raping women while the whole world watches

That world focuses the spot light on a mosquito

But stands blindly in front of ghouls

If I was asked to describe it in one word

I would not find a word better than “Sinner”

And if I was asked to evaluate its rulers

I would not find they deserve to be more than “Restroom cleaners”

The supporters of the butcher (Assad) are helping him by supplying arms

Our supporters are helping us by empty speeches and promises

Between these and those, our people are still being slaughtered

Each one of these and those is a partner, liar, or denier

And the one who is calling to negotiate with the (Assad) regime

Is doing nothing but trying to save it and kill the revolution

So we shouldn’t talk to it but with the language of cannons

As when the blood is shed, the ink bottles should be dried

This should be today the final word

The word which we should speak up, loud and clear

Regardless of the time, the revolution will always be

The clearest word the dictator understands

***

A Poem translation

Tarif Youssef-Agha

An Expatriate Arab Syrian Writer & Poet

Member of the ‘Syrian Revolutionary Writers Assembly’

Saturday, 11 Ramadan 1434, 20 July, 2013

The Fundraising Iftar-Dinner of Maram Foundation, Houston, TX http://sites.google.com/site/tarifspoetry