Freedom carol

Nedhal Abbas*

Ah
I'll say it again:
There are few things
On which we all agree;
Sooner or later
You'll be free.

Democracy is new for you
But never mind
We will teach you

Marines;
Move forward
Go on
This is what you trained for
You are the hunter
You are the predator
Freedom is beautiful
Do you hear?

Soldiers march,
On natives bodies
Battling a stench
They chant
Freedom is beautiful

By tanks
By warplanes,
Apache, Kiowa, marine cobra.
Smoke grenades
By Sniper shots
We'll end your demise

They deliver.
Wrapped in democracy,
Coloured in freedom,
Packages of
Un- named mutilated naked burned
Blown apart un-counted bodies

We receive
137,000
Men women and children

Mohamed, Ali, Omar, Jawad
Selma, Nadia, Fatima, Suhad
Hussein, Ahmed, Salam, Azad
Aysha, Amal, Maysoon, Nuhad
Faisal, Raad, Zaid, Widad
Nuha, Haifaa, Kifah, Souad

From a distance'
Chorus of freedom recite:

Ah
We'll say it again;
Can't you understand?
It's our mission
To put an end
To your demise.

Nedhal Abbas: Iraqi poet. She published her first book of poetry "Dreams of invisible pleasures", in Arabic, in 1999.

This poem has been translated by Haifa Zangana.