A Prison's Ticket Poem by Ahmed Fouad Negm

Name: Saber[1]
Crime: Egyptian
Age: The youngest of my generation
Despite my old, grey plaits
That flow downwards unto my waist
Occupation: The heir
Of my forefathers
And of the ages
Creator of civilizations,
Enlightenment
And security
Skin: Brown
Hair: Rougher than hay
Eye colour: Deep black
Nose: Flaring like a steed
Mouth: Fixed in its place
If one tries to move it
All that can happen, happens
Place of Birth: In any dark room
Beneath the skies
In any home surrounded
By palm trees
Where The Nile flows
As long as it's not a mansion
Sentence: For seven thousand years
I lay here, a prisoner
Grinding the rocks in between my teeth
O the idleness
I spend my nights here, in gloom
Reasons: Asked, I was,
For what reason?
Has your confinement been prolonged
Because I am of kind spirit
And of geniality
I committed, not even an infringement upon the law
Because I am afraid
And because law has its sword
Ask the informants
And they'll tell you my story
From beginning to end
By name I am patient even in the face of Job's calamities
I am a donkey
Carrying my share of burdens
And awaiting
I drown in rivers of sweat
During the lengthy morn
I pack my grievances by nightfall
Then, on them I rest
Now you know why?