Xviii Poem by Freeyad Ibrahim

By Freeyad Ibrahim

How does it happen that a single phrase
May suddenly attract the notice of every person in a room
There is no knowing
In the midst of the hubbub
Bossuet concluded whatever he had been saying
by citing a date:
18 june-1815
At the mention of Waterloo
Marius suddenly looked up
And gazed fixedly at the company
I've always been struck by that number,18
It is Bonaparte's fatal number
Put Louis in front of it
And Brumaire after it
-louis XVIII and 18 Brumaire-
And you have the man's whole destiny
The end triggered by the beginning
The crime matched by its expiation
Marius, exited by the mention of waterloo,
he rose and walked slowly to the map of France
hanging on the wall
In the bottom corner was the map of Corsica
He said: a small island that made France Great
It was as though a cold wind had blown
All conversation ceased
Enjolras said- without looking at Marius:
France did not need Corsica
To make her great
She is great because she is France!

FRYAD HUGO