Yasser Arafat Poem by Francis Duggan

The pride of his Nation in hospital in France
And the odds of his survival a fifty fifty chance
In his seventy fifth year his better days gone
And the clock on his life it ticks and ticks on.

To some untrustworthy to others a great
Suppose an enemy to one to another is a mate
The President of Palestine for many years
His illness has reduced his people to tears.

An enemy to some and to others a friend
Old Yasser Arafat is nearing his end
Like a brown Autumn leaf on it's branch that is ready to fall
The Reaper who will claim him will one day claim us all.

The part he was given in life is a hard part to play
And there is far worse than Yasser is all I can say
To serve Palestine's interest by his people empowered
Yet to one a great hero to another a coward.

For Yasser Arafat is the end in sight
His body is ailing is this his last fight?
A World known figure he too had his day
And the clock on his life it is ticking away