Pakistan

[Poetry] ‘The Hawker Revolution’

 

Habib Sulaimani
For Muhammad Bouazizi, a Tunisian street-hawker, whose tragic death acted as a catalyst for change.

 

In solitary confinement,

I can hear the song of liberty

amid gunshots from the Arab world:

 

“We want freedom

We want democracy”

 

Freedom is the music

Freedom is the cry

Don’t ask me: why!

 

The melodious voices from the

desert’re intoxicating…

It’s compelling everybody—even the

thundering guns’re dancing!

 

Azizi’s red blood has made the desert green

This—history had never ever seen

Trembling dynasties’re crumbling…

Hurray! Democracy is coming!

 

Generals and mullahs: stay away!

You’ve shed enough blood

Lower your guns and loudspeakers…

Let’s dance to the tune of democracy!

 

Let’s sing the song of liberty

Let’s dance for democracy

 

Arabs want their lost dignity back…

For ages they’ve been out of track…

Now the helpless people’ve a ray of hope

The oppressors can’t cut the divine rope!

It’s not the Arabian Nights’ Entertainment era

Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Algeria—

Everyone seeks freedom in the Arabian Peninsula

Not only Libya and Syria

Liberty is the right of entire Asia and Africa!

 

Freedom is the music

Freedom is the cry

Don’t ask me: why!

 

Tired of the despot, corrupt and aged rulers

The youth bade farewell to recruiters of bombers

Ay! Cyber Generation, don’t act like people after Saddam…

Do not separate peace from Islam!

 

The tyrants’re fleeing to the new palace of the old king…

The last refuge of any disgraced barbaric regime!

 

“My motherland’ll vomit the fascist with big ego”

I can hear the song of a Libyan shepherd

Remove the unholy rulers from the Holly Land

The world hears the chanting sand

Kings, amirs, presidents and prime ministers

Every chameleon and despot’ll evaporate into air!

 

Freedom is the music

Freedom is the cry

Don’t ask me: why!

 

People seek peace and prosperity

A corruption-free country

Citizens want to live with good grace

Not like beasts—but as a human race!

The song of liberty is deafening the oppressors around

“Music is forbidden,” declares the king’s trusted cleric

“Oppression is forbidden,” shouts the Arabian crowd

“We want freedom. We want grace

We want to live like a human race!”

 

Behold, global players!

Do you hear the music?

The whirlwind of change has taken away people’s fear

Men and women’re seeking no less than liberty

Stop the pirates from hijacking the ship of dignity

Right in the middle of the Arabian Sea!

 

Abandon the theocratic, secular

and military dictators everywhere!

They’re sucking your blood like hookworms

They’re making a hole in your soul

And injured souls can’t be healed by crude oil!

 

Let nightingales sing in the oasis freely

Let rusted musical instruments come to life again

Let arms go to hellfire not human beings

Let peace triumph in the Middle East

The Holly Land needs a graceful feast!

 

Listen to the music

Hay, hay, listen to…

 

“We want freedom

We want democracy”

 

Freedom is the music

Freedom is the cry

Don’t ask me: why!

Source: http://www.thefridaytimes.com/18022011/letters.shtml

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3 Comments

  1. wow! This is magnificent poetry. I hope one day the people of Pakistan including Gilgi-Baltistan will also rise against the rulers who are responsible for gross human rights violation who are continuously denying their rights. tab raj karegi khalqe khuda jo tum bhi ho jo ham bhi hein….

  2. brother you have expressed your openion about the arab world and about their dectators ruling elite in a very unique way.

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