Thursday, August 26, 2004

Frogs by Iraqi poet `Abdul-Wahab Al-Bayyati (my translation):
The frogs of sadness
on the lake of the evening
were pouring water in the
mills of night
competing in praise
among each others
and displaying laundry
in the air
sipping tea in the white
elegant offices
and yellow newspapers
They were vomiting
hatred on the masses,
on the giant while breaking
chains
frogs that called themselves
"men"
I saw them in the cities of the world,
in the streets of fog
in the market, in the cafe,
without a conscience
distorting the future,
the dreams, and destiny
I saw them building fortresses
higher than clouds
from the sweat of the hungry,
and from the blood of the toiler
And when dawn breaks,
I would see the blind frogs
on the chair of power,
flirting deceptively with the hungry
and spreading flowers and basil
on the ground for them
What a loss of humans,
sir, in these times
as long as there is something
called forgetfulness in the lexicon