They Said to Syria 'You Have to Choose'

They said to Syria ‘You have to Choose’

By Tarif Youssef Agha

They said to Syria ‘You have to choose between this one who claims

He is the Emir and that one who claims he is the infinite leader’

This one is a criminal who calls himself a Caliph

And titles all his opponents as “Disbelievers”

The other one is also a criminal who kills people according to their identities

And heads a gang which contains the worst of the thugs

This one whips, stones and beheads

He and his organization are still wrapped by mysteries

The other one drops explosive barrels, demolishes and forces people to flee

He is still insistent to burn the whole homeland

One of them came from the unknown

And his followers are thieves and killers, but still call themselves “The chosen”

The other one sold his country to the Iranians and the Russians

He, like his late dad, the seller of the Golan, works as a broker

If I’m asked to evaluate the Caliph and the President

I wouldn’t find a better word than “Muggers”

As war criminals, they both deserve to be executed

But they also deserve, as Satan, to be stoned

Syria says ‘No one will choose for me’

I will not be put to choose between a slaughter and a butcher

There will no place on my land for these criminals who

Use the religion as an excuse to oppress others

Nor for those killers who sold the homeland and made peace with the occupier

Then marched with their army to fight their own people

I will have no place also for thieves or slaves

I will only be the homeland for the people of freedom and honor

And you, the writers of the revolution, don’t give up and don’t leave me alone

It is your responsibility to light the way and cheer up with your words and poems

***

A Poem translation

(Can be shared without permission)

By Tarif Youssef-Agha

An Expatriate Arab Syrian Writer & Poet

Member of the ‘Syrian Revolutionary Writers Assembly’

Friday October 24, 2014, Houston, Texas

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