Mohamed Al-Maghout Poems

Do not slap me, destiny,
Metres of smacks already cover my face.
Here I am, while the wind's blowing in the streets,
Charging out of books, dictionaries and taverns
...

All the fields of the world
At odds with two small lips
All the streets of history
At odds with two bare feet.
...

They stripped me of my sword as a warrior
my pen as a poet
...

In my mouth another mouth
Between my teeth other teeth.
O my parents... my people!
You who sent me into the world like a bullet,
...

Now,
With the sad rain
Drenching my sad face,
I dream of a ladder of dust,
...

Oh! The dream, the dream!
My sturdy gilded wagon
Has broken down
Its wheels have scattered like gypsies everywhere.
...

Whenever freedom rained down anywhere in the world,
Arab regimes rush out to cover their people with umbrellas,
...

My tears turned blue
for staring at the sky so long
My eyes turned yellow
for dreaming of the golden wheat, so long
...