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