The Silencing of Poetry

In regard to the article – Female Poet Brought Before Bahrain Military Tribunal, by Adrian Blomfield of The Telegraph

As the fight for democracy and equal rights is ensuing in the Arabic countries, we see how the voice of the poet is still threatening the government. Who would have thought that now, in the 2011, the voice of a poet is just as frightening as it once was. Frightening enough as to execute and shut a poet up.

“Arrested after reading a self-penned poem to anti-government protesters in the Bahraini capital Manama”

Unbelievable.

And notice the fine, yet very bold, words:

“Bahraini human rights activists say that although Miss Ghermezi was not raped, she was badly tortured while in custody.”

This goes to tell us of the conditions in the cell, and of the importance of the human rights, that are being denied. The voice of the people, a term which I thought was long dead, is echoing as strong as ever. Let’s read her words –

“We are the people who will kill humiliation and assassinate misery

We are the people who will destroy the foundation of injustice

Don’t you hear their cries, don’t you hear their screams?”

For me it is a harsh scream for justice, for life, for love. The 20 years old poet, Ayat al-Ghermezi, will probably be forgotten in the stream of time, but I am in great hope that the meaning of her words shall never fade away, echo forever, until the world will learn.