I am looking forward to the next few pieces that Mohamed might share with us. I also saw a short film by him recently, and can avow to the fact that he can be supremely funny. Just not in this poem. Thank you Mohamed for reading with us last year, we hope you write some more and return.

A view from The Middle East

Amongst
Coastal Plains
Desert Expanses
Mountain Ranges
Lie
Power
Religion
Society
Living
Lost Civilizations
Longstanding Regimes
People’s Dreams
This all but a glimpse of the feast
Assembled, on crossroads of West and East

A split in succession
fourteen centuries ago
only after Three, concession
behind the present state of embargo
At the onset of the caliphate
Legitimacy of rule
The topic of debate
The resolve
Fragmentation into sects
Sunni, Shia dialects
Sunnis put Faith in election
Shias in that of divine sanction
But just as soon
Power
Decreed it by assassination
Ironic
fourteen centuries on
each sect’s predilections
Gone
The state representative of each
Practicing against its initial preach
One
An absolute monarchy
Devoid of meritocracy
While autocratically stern
Hypocritically, Pro-Western
Another
Aspects of democracy
Steeped in theocracy
While pursuing policies of self-sufficiency
Unfortunately, only militarily
Side-by-Side
Between them a Gulf
A sectarian divide
They find themselves engulfed.
Though their differences are political
Their similarities, unequivocal
Legislation by clerics
Claiming validation, Islamic
Policies in Contradiction
To that of accepted Islamic Diction
Subversion of half of Society
By professing Women’s inequality
As for the whole
in a plight
at a judge’s discretion
his personal definition
of Human Rights.
Religious Freedom
follows the same Fate
as that of Expressions in Freedom
A Sentencing Date.
As a result
Religion
through its Politicization
from whence God’s and People’s Domain
relegated to Fiction
written by a state’s reign
Fabricated Division
Preached, without relief
Amongst a People practicing
The same set of Beliefs
Disenfranchised Youth
From one of the paths of truth
By the ingrained fallacy
of a State of ‘hypo-cracy’
As for Islam’s face
Interpreted to the World’s Populace
shaped by exercises of Power
by governments we empower
through Our Speeches, long since
consisting solely of . . . .

Yemen
Exemplary of the Strength of Women
Their Weakness
A moot point
Their Actions
Counterpoint
Driving movements of Non-violence
Standing against orders of compliance
Attempting to ascertain
a life Without Chains.
Despite a History of division
United in their position
despite being short
of tangible support
They hold firm
until their views are confirmed.
The first step is down
by a leader of discredit
whose rule is frowned upon
by People embedded
with ability to envision
an improvement in condition
with Voices and Footsteps
entirely in rhythm.

Since the Declaration of Balfour
Irreconcilability has endured
Exasperated by Wars
An endless Settlement of more
In the land of the Holy
Sovereignty is disputed wholly
Borders
Drawn up by Wall
Barriers
Determined to Fall
Precepts of Separation
Stand against Reconciliation
Biased support
Actions do purport
For one’s subsidized life
At another’s strife
Without any Occupation
People lead lives of frustration
Without any Farms
They follow a path to arms
Even against one another
Of their brothers
If only there was Hamas
In order to Fatah
Between them the gridlock
For representation as one bloc.
A renunciation of Violence
For Civil Disobedience
Will serve to Silence
The Drum of Military Ordnance
For Excessive Reactions
Juxtaposed by Non-violent Actions
Will strip justifications
For Launching Operations
The People’s Efforts
Refocused from Stones
Towards
Words
And their Intrinsic Power
To sway
Worlds
Against the Institutionalized Injustice
Perpetrated by Occupation
For the Voice of Justice
Lies grounded in Truths
Veiled by Oppression
Of a People’s Rights
And from a State of Recognition.
Efforts though
For everlasting Peace
Will remain shattered
Segmented to Pieces
So long as focus remains
On what state religion ordains
After all that’s been said and tried
Maybe the solution, after all, may just lie
In middle ground
In theory of great profound
Still awaiting inception
Since birth in the region
Two millennia ago
As Christ conferred
Love thy neighbour.

Syria
Hysteria
A relic of the past
A world outcast
Stalwart of Arab Politics
Practices in Rhetoric
Carrots on Sticks

Suspended Constitution
Emergency Law Institution
Freedom of Expression
Basis of Dissension
Grounds for Detention.
Stifling of Opposition
In favor of the Proposition
The People’s Representation
The Heart of Corruption.
Skewed Income Distribution
The People’s Situation
Unworthy of Contemplation
Distract from Deprivations
With Fears of Impending Invasions
Our Only Salvation
Patriotism in the Nation
Not Love of One’s Country
Lest there be Confusion
Rather Hatred of Another.

For all its Enthusiasm
All it left behind, a Schism
Rooted in Despotism
Political Arab Nationalism.

I-raq
A wreck
Never has something so right
Been done so wrong
But to allow that blight
To define for long
Is to forget what lies dormant
In the recesses of mind
On Plains of Fertile Crescent
The human capacity to find
From unrelenting will
A persistent drill
For the sake of extraction
A Cradle’s worth of Civilization.

Capabilities proven
Not once
But twice
Abilities
Hopefully moving
With aims of thrice

Bahrain
Revolution
Contained
De-Evolution
Sustained
Discrimination
Maintained
Division
Feigned
Counter-Revolution
Unrestrained
Condemnations
Constrained
Resolutions
Refrained
Relations
Retained
Nation
Strained

So here we find
In the Middle East
Attempts to bind
From Medieval Beasts
People’s hands and feet
Weapons of Modern Feat
Arresting, Pulse and Beat
For what’s truly on the line
Are Ideas of the Mind
For from the African North
Lately much has been put forth
For the progress of the region
If we carry on believing
That the Rights of Man
Are as crucial as his Hands
In building up this place
And tearing down what stands
In place of Just commonplace.
It was a Man on Fire
That sparked the desire
He left all behind
Sacrificed all to remind
That a government’s laws
Every article and clause
Should be written with the spirit
Of nothing but..
The People’s Benefit.

Freedom though
While rightfully attained
Could just as easily go
If status quo is maintained
Centuries of results
May be a cause of one man
“Strong”
But now
only We would be at fault
If now
We are not to undo wrongs

A fair, impartial Constitution
Empowering Our Institutions
To wrest Power from one
Bestowed upon all, bar none
Illiteracy
Led to complicity
Universal Education
Enlighten People and Nation
Rote Education
Led to Stagnation
A regional revampment
To achieve advancement
Economies
Based on Commodities
Their shortcomings to be Acknowledged
For a renewed focus and basis in Knowledge
Equitable Income Distribution
To push for the restitution
Of People’s Motivation
In bettering their situations
Our Wealth
Invested in Institutions of Universal Health
For a Higher Expectancy
Of a better Life Mortality
The Sanctity
Of Our Society
Will only be safeguarded through Equality
Amongst the Gender Varieties
Society’s Purview
A Plurality of Views
Their Acceptance, Just
If decided through…The People’s Trust.

And when it comes down to it
When we seek to learn from all of it
For the sake of Our Dreams of a Better Future
We should place Our Power in the better aspects of Our Human Nature
In that which no level of repression can extinguish
That which conquers and casts aside any anguish
Which, time and again, has been proven to never languish…
Human Love,
Hope,
Faith,
and Forgiveness.

Mohamed Lamrad
©2012