Back to index of Nerve 15 - Winter 2009

Poetry Page

"My Beloved" by Ahmed Awes

Bless God for creating my beloved
From her figure the bamboos are ashamed.
With one look she kills and with another she heals
The gazelles are so jealous from the beauty of her eyes.

The peacock takes his coat from her shadow
And the pomegranates orchads belong to her chest.
To poets she is the spiritual father
In her protectorate rest all the world' wonders.

You can find there that the eagle feeds the pigeon's chicks
And the tiger plays with the deer.
The moon is embarrassed from her light
And the Sultan's daughter hides.

Kings walk with the same pride like her
And the world's wonders become eight.
In front of her, the Mona Lisa cries in jealousy
And the Big Ben stops and all the bets are lost.

(Translated by Farhan Abu Hassan)

"Disembodied" by Val Walsh

You have no stomach for justice.
No guts for the struggle.
No legs for the journey.
No shoulders to bear the weight.

No arms ready to link.

You have no eyes for the evidence.
No ears for the arguments.
No heart for the victims.

No mind to make a difference.

You raise no voice
to make the necessary chorus
of dissent. And you think
your silence will keep you safe.

"To the Earth" by Dave Ward (taken from his book ‘on the edge of the rain’)

Lay me out beneath the rainclouds
Let my eyes drink in the sky
Leave me here in these high mountains
Where the dark birds wheel and fly

Let the lightning snake my sinews
Let the cold stones pierce my veins
Let the sun gouge out my hunger
Till the shadows steal my pain

Only the whisper of wind will feed me
Only the touch of dew on my face
Only the chains of moonlight will free me
Only the silence of dawn on my breath

Let the roots thread through my fingers
Let the earth embrace my bones
Let my tongue taste webs of starfrost
Leave me here, but not alone

Let my tears run into rivers
Let me feel the forest's cry
Let new life rise through my body
Till at my death, I cannot die

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