Liaqat Bagh (2) Poem by Muhammad Shanazar

(A Poem for Benazeer Bhutto)

Let blood shouldn’t be congealed,
It shouldn’t come on the tips of tongues,
Neither the eyes should wink,
Nor should they shed the drops of tears,
Get all together, and wash
The place of execution before the sun rises,
And there shouldn’t be a single clue.

Here is a tradition that post-mortems
Aren’t carried out of the princes
And princesses,
Shut the eyes of the daughter of the East,
There are evidences of the murderer,
In the still static corneas,
And lips: the faded buds,
Tighten them close with each other,
Even now they display in silent corner
Frozen identity of the assassin.

The traditions to sustain the wounds
Of bullets, and hang on the gallows embrace
Each other in tranquility,
Now both of them are to be consign to
The blind dungeon of untold history,
Avarice will collect lies and so-called
Truths, to flag them in the streets,
Lanes and lawns, and along the highways,
And they will make amendments
In their constitutions,
For elections are going to be held soon.

Written by Ayub Khawar
Translated by Muhammad Shanazar