Saturday 30 March 2013

Syria

Syria
your interior
its crumbling;
your two cities 
damascus and aleppo
wrecked
-it's troubling-
that a civilisation so great
should suffer such a sorry fate
ravaged by violence,
too long we've been silenced;
Syria,
you've become a mirror
for the discord and pain 
wracked amongst our people 
this fighting, is it all in vain?
and here, connected
for all our lands are affected
all our lands
(all arid sand)
are soaked in blood
perhaps its for time another flood
to wipe us out
and wash the streets clean
Beloved Noah, could it be foreseen
this obscene, state of nature?
for now its clear, that the earth needs 
cleansing before commencing
to rebuild
the city
the lost city of damascus
What you used to be,
I remember it so clearly-
your lively souks, your beautiful spirit 
these empty lyrics 
they do no justice,
damascus
mountains surrounded you 
solid
(honest and true)
and the ummayad mosque 
gleaming, so seeming
untouched for centuries
this timeless city
where the holy walked
I never thought 
it would happen
not like this
-we've been decieved-
and it's hard to believe
that slowly you're being destroyed
I remember that moment of peaceful
on a hightop overlooking the city 
at night, the lights
they shone so bright
Now, here, torn asunder
the oldest civilisation
-a clap of thunder- 
humankind with each blunder
do you not learn, do you not take head
humankind do not plead
innocence
for the olive trees bear witness
to every action and every inaction
syrians: of this kind
life, how did it grind 
to a halt, who's fault 
is it: the continuation
of the occupation 
of a broken city 
once so pretty
what a heart-wrenching pity
that it's come to this 
I don't understand still 
why so much blood is being spilled
and why we just go on living
when we're all human 
when its been proven 
so many times before
that war
is hell
war is hell.
syria....