Born To Die Poem by Mohamed Mahou

Several years ago, I was tossed
Inside a water-filled balloon
Turning and turning
Around its thin sides.
I felt the heat of the sun,
The vibrations of my feet,
The murmurs of their voices.
Nine months in merriment
With simple and slow movements
I keep turning and turning
The bigger my bones stretched,
The slower my moves got.
Soon I was caught in a standstill;
My elbows and my knees were suddenly like steel
I thought I was in heavy jam
Or like a dead fish in a frozen dam.
A dim light approached my head.
I was then squeezed out.
The balloon was blown,
Now, I was tumbled into an air-filled balloon
With a scream as big as life,
I stood still, filled up with scorn
Between dirty, bloody hands
Faces shouting, others weeping
I was then declared a child, born to die.