just read “bridge of old wonders” by iraqi poet mozaffar al-nawwab. i have never read anything like it. al-nawwab is famous for castigating arab leaders in his live recitations – he is a performance poet. here is a taste of his forceful, nay formidable, poetry:
…
do the dead care how their graves r decorated?
does the goat think about its pastures
as it is being readied for slaughter?
what r the merchants of al shams [syria] cooking on hell’s fire?
the plague is imminent
when a troubled star full of holes appears
it emits a deadly light
that illuminates the eye sockets of a skull
the wind flickers and plays inside it
at tal al-zaatar. [massacre at palestinian refugee camp in lebanon besieged by christian phalangist forces]
all the dust of the world
cannot close the eyes of a skull
searching for a homeland.
the capital of the poor [beirut] has fallen, just a little while ago
and in response?
impotent castanets r clicking and jangling all the way to the
white house
the testicles of the arab leaders trembled with pride.
…
more on al-nawwab:
Stirring words: traditions and subversions in the poetry of Muzaffar al-Nawwab by Carol Bardenstein