The Time of Frogs
The Time of Frogs
By Tarif Youssef-Agha
We have lived long enough to witness the Time of Frogs
Where the whole world is great in croaking
Between those countries who call themselves ‘The Friends of the Syrian people’
And those individuals who claim to represent the opposition of Assad
The sound of their croaking is shaking the foundations of the Earth
Between a condemnation here and a worrying there
The sound of their croaking is blocking the ears and preventing
The world from hearing the cries for help from the (Syrian) victims
They are all similar by launching bubbles
As I see, all of them swimming in the same swamp
I won’t be shocked if my enemy comes to kill me
Nor if the tyrant oppresses me
But I will be shocked if he who calls himself a friend is
In fact, a partner in shedding my blood
Still, he comes and annoys my ears with his croaks
Claiming that his heart is weeping over my pain
I will also be shocked when I see someone who calls himself an opposition
While he is, in fact, just hungry for positions and titles
And that who calls himself a servant for the revolution
While he is, in fact, just buying and selling
Oh my Syrian people, may God stand with you
You are the party that is suffering the most
Your calamity has even increased with those who are called ISIS
Those who recruited every thief and a street thug
They agreed to be like a dagger in your back
Your back became a stabbing target for everyone
So spit on them all and don’t exclude any
If you don’t mind, oh Syrian people
***
A Poem translation
(Can be shared without permission)
Tarif Youssef-Agha
An Expatriate Arab Syrian Writer & Poet
Member of the ‘Syrian Revolutionary Writers Assembly’
Friday July 4, 2014, Houston, Texas
http://sites.google.com/site/tarifspoetry