May 2016, A jaw
One day at my university in Damascus, a terrible event happened
That day, a mortar shell landed on the student´s cafeteria. 22 students lost their lives
And later in that period, I had an Exam, which was surprising how we went as we usually do.
We all continue the examination next to the location of the shell.
We sat afterwards next to the park where the explosion took place.
And, of course, it was already cleaned out of all traces of blood and flesh.
But we noticed a piece laying on the grass that no one saw,
a human jaw.
with teeth and meat parts
And when I gazed at it, I froze and pondered
maybe for ten minutes
I was not thinking about anything, but I felt something.
There are moments of human experience
when language and words never help
For the first time in my life, I needed to write poetry.
I did write stuff every now and then.
But this time is different; this time, there is something that feels like a revelation.
May 2016
The first movement:
a jaw
was moving
with plans, dreams, and jokes
The second movement:
away from the mover
away laying on the grass
but in me was moving
his plans, dreams, and jokes
his first love and noisy brother
Screaming loudly as I stood like a scolded child
apologising yet again
for his loss
That day, a mortar shell landed on the student´s cafeteria. 22 students lost their lives
And later in that period, I had an Exam, which was surprising how we went as we usually do.
We all continue the examination next to the location of the shell.
We sat afterwards next to the park where the explosion took place.
And, of course, it was already cleaned out of all traces of blood and flesh.
But we noticed a piece laying on the grass that no one saw,
a human jaw.
with teeth and meat parts
And when I gazed at it, I froze and pondered
maybe for ten minutes
I was not thinking about anything, but I felt something.
There are moments of human experience
when language and words never help
For the first time in my life, I needed to write poetry.
I did write stuff every now and then.
But this time is different; this time, there is something that feels like a revelation.
May 2016
The first movement:
a jaw
was moving
with plans, dreams, and jokes
The second movement:
away from the mover
away laying on the grass
but in me was moving
his plans, dreams, and jokes
his first love and noisy brother
Screaming loudly as I stood like a scolded child
apologising yet again
for his loss
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