Syria, the closest place to Heaven

Syria, the closest place to Heaven

By Tarif Youssef Agha

If you visit Syria, walk slowly and respectfully

As it is the closest place

It can be to Heaven

The caravans of martyrs are departing

Around the clock

Paying the price of Freedom and reclaiming the Homeland back

Caravans that have women and children

And have those who were killed secretly

And those who were killed publicly

Here flourished massacres, and also holocausts

Wherever you walk, you don’t know

Who is buried under your steps?

And there are also those who were cowardly sharp shot

History will never forget their memories

It will keep them alive in its heart

The angels’ wings don’t stop flapping

Carrying our beloved ones to another world

A world far away, but also near by

Liberating them from the prison of the Baath (Syria’s ruling party)

And leaving us behind

To fill its cells

If you come to Syria, prepare to be a martyr

As martyrhood might not be far away

Therefore, do not forget to buy your coffin

In spite of all that, all those people are

Celebrating and preparing for the coming Freedom

And singing ‘Oh our homeland, you are the heaven’

The Syrian people made up their mind

They either live in dignity

Or die and let the others live in dishonor

***

Poem translation

Tarif Youssef-Agha

An Expatriate Arab Syrian Writer & Poet

Member of the ‘Syrian Revolutionary Writers Assembly’

Houston, Texas

Friday October 26, 2012

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