Poem 020: Death, Last Night! Poem by Samer Madbak

Oh Lord! I felt so strange last night
I felt I was a battered fort
A withered flower struck by blight
A leper in a damp resort
Why did I feel that weak?
Why was my bed so bleak?
Must I endure this plight
Alone without support?

Last night I lost my nerve, my grit
I felt I was a whit, a grain
My strength? I was deprived of it,
And tumult swept my blurry brain
Why was my heart afraid?
Why was my soul dismayed?
Why all this deficit
In joy, th’excess of pain?

Last night I waxed a hazy sky
A raging sea, a seething war
A nagging thought, to die, to die
To die, was all I could implore
Why did I feel confused?
Why were my feelings bruised?
Can someone tell me why?
Am I the slave of sore?

Last night, Death was all I could feel
And Oh! What wish bedeviled me:
That Death Himself may come for real
To terminate the agony.
Come Leveller, make speed
Unto my heart, your meed,
Embrace my spirit, seal,
Oh! Seal my destiny!


Beirut
January 19th 1988