"ahmad" poems
Mirror
by Kajal Ahmad, a Kurdish poet
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
My era’s obscuring mirror
shattered
because it magnified the small
and made the great seem insignificant.
Dictators and monsters filled its contours.
Now when I breathe
its jagged shards pierce my heart
and instead of sweat
I exude glass.
Keywords/Tags: Kajal Ahmad, Kurd, Kurdish, translation, mirror, shattered, magnified, dictators, monsters, jagged, shards, sweat, perspire, leak, bleed, extrude, protrude, glass
The Lonely Earth
by Kajal Ahmad
loose translation by Michael R. Burch
The pale celestial bodies
never bid her "Good morning! "
nor do the creative stars
kiss her.
Earth, where so many tender persuasions and roses lie interred,
might expire for the lack of a glance, or an odor.
She's a lonely dusty orb,
so very lonely! , as she observes the moon's patchwork attire
knowing the sun's an imposter
who sears with rays he has stolen for himself
and who looks down on the moon and earth like lodgers.
Kurds are Birds
by Kajal Ahmad
loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Per the latest scientific classification, Kurds
now belong to a species of bird!
This is why,
traveling across the torn, fraying pages of history,
they are nomads recognized by their caravans.
Yes, Kurds are birds! And,
even worse, when
there's nowhere left to nest, no refuge from their pain,
they turn to the illusion of traveling again
between the warm and arctic sectors of their homeland.
So I don't think it strange Kurds can fly but not land.
They wander from region to region
never realizing their dreams
of settling,
of forming a colony, of nesting.
No, they never settle down long enough
to visit Rumi and inquire about his health,
or to bow down deeply in the gust-
stirred dust,
like Nali.
Bi Havre (“Together”)
possibly the oldest Kurdish poem
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
I want us to be together:
we would eat together,
climb the mountain together,
sing songs together, songs of love,
songs from the heart, sung from above.
I want us to have one heart, together.
Many words in this ancient poem are in doubt, so I have excerpted what I grok to be the central meaning.
And because Kajal mentioned Rumi, here are my translations of Rumi:
Raise your words, not their volume.
Rain grows flowers, not thunder.
—Rumi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Birdsong
by Rumi
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Birdsong relieves
my deepest griefs:
now I'm just as ecstatic as they,
but with nothing to say!
Please universe,
rehearse
your poetry
through me!
Apr 1, 2020
Apr 1, 2020 at 3:00 AM UTC
3 Maret 1924..
Tak banyak уαηg tahu αρα уαηg telah terjadi ∂ι hari itu | dahsyatnya makar & kemunduran umat telah melupakan peristiwa detik2 hancurnya institusi daulah Khilafah sang pemersatu
Hingga derita mendera bertubi silih berganti menimpa muslim ∂ι segala penjuru | teraniaya,terhina,tercabik,tertindas,tersakiti,terjajah,menangis tersedu
Umat уαηg satu tak lagi menyatu | terpecah tersekat oleh nation state buatan sekutu | bak anak ayam kehilangan induk terancam hidupnya sewaktu-waktu
Begitulah wajah muslim hari ini | ketika tiada lagi institusi уαηg melindungi | problematika terjadi tiada henti
Hari ini | tepat 91 tahun umat Islam hidup tanpa institusi Khilafah | saatnya melawan lupa & bergerak mewujudkannya
Khilafah janji Allah tersampaikan melalui lisan mulia Rasulullah SAW | walau banyak уαηg beranggapan utopis kembali mewujudkannya | yakinlah tiada janji уαηg pernah ingkar kecuali janjiNya
Nabi saw bersabda,
"Akan datang kepada kalian masa kenabian,& atas kehendak Allah masa itu akan datang.Kemudian,Allah akan menghapusnya,jika Ia berkehendak menghapusnya.
Setelah itu,akan datang masa Kekhilafahan ‘ala Minhaaj al-Nubuwwah;& atas kehendak Allah masa itu akan datang.Lalu,Allah menghapusnya jika Ia berkehendak menghapusnya.
Setelah itu,akan datang kepada kalian,masa raja menggigit (raja yang dzalim),& atas kehendak Allah masa itu akan datang.Lalu,Allah menghapusnya,jika Ia berkehendak menghapusnya.
Setelah itu,akan datang masa raja dictator (pemaksa);& atas kehendak Allah masa itu akan datang; lalu Allah akan menghapusnya jika berkehendak menghapusnya.
Kemudian,datanglah masa Khilafah ‘ala Minhaaj al-Nubuwwah (Khilafah yang berjalan di atas kenabian). Setelah itu, beliau diam".
[HR. Imam Ahmad ]
Saudaraku,
Telah tiba saatnya satukan langkah satukan perjuangan,
Menyongsong kembali janji Allah Sang Penggegam Kehidupan,
Tegaknya kembali Daulah Khilafah ∂ι atas jalan kenabian..
Takbir !!
Allahuakbar !
SalamPerjuangan!
#3RDMARCH1924
#melawanLupa
Mar 2, 2015
Mar 2, 2015 at 11:20 PM UTC
An ethnic Tajik
A Sunni Muslim from the valley of Panshir
He stood and fought when danger was near
He fought proudly with his Muslim brothers
For the way of life they held so dear
Soviet attack helicopters
Tanks too
They attacked in vain
Ahmad has a heart so true
He was going to warn the West
Of the 9/11 attacks
Osama put a price on his head
I wish the Lion would come back
Death to communism
Afghanistan is the true Muslim's land
The Taliban are evil
And belong buried in the sand
Ahmad Massoud's spirit can never die
To Allah
His spirit will fly!
May 26, 2015
May 26, 2015 at 4:32 PM UTC
Acting
by Ahmad ***
I feel like sometimes we are very good at acting
Very good at putting on a show
When we are really feeling something else inside
We teach ourselves
That certain feelings
Certain things are unnacceptable
We are supposed to be civil
We are supposed to put on a good face
We are supposed to hide the negative feelings
The dark feelings that well up inside of us
If we don't accept ourselves for who we are
For better or for worst
We will keep acting
Keep playing the part that everyone else has for us
Afraid to stop acting
And to live our own lives
And to keep us from truly expressing
The uniqueness that everyone has inside
Jun 20, 2012
Jun 20, 2012 at 12:08 PM UTC
Kurds are Birds
by Kajal Ahmad, a Kurdish poet
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Per the latest scientific classification, Kurds
now belong to a species of bird!
This is why,
traveling across the torn, fraying pages of history,
they are nomads recognized by their caravans.
Yes, Kurds are birds! And,
even worse, when
there’s nowhere left to nest, no refuge for their pain,
they turn to the illusion of traveling again
between the warm and arctic sectors of their homeland.
So I don’t think it strange Kurds can fly but not land.
They wander from region to region
never realizing their dreams
of settling,
of forming a colony, of nesting.
No, they never settle down long enough
to visit Rumi and inquire about his health,
or to bow down deeply in the gust-
stirred dust,
like Nali.
And because Kajal mentioned Rumi, here are my translations of Rumi:
Raise your words, not their volume.
Rain grows flowers, not thunder.
—Rumi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Birdsong
by Rumi
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Birdsong relieves
my deepest griefs:
now I'm just as ecstatic as they,
but with nothing to say!
Please universe,
rehearse
your poetry
through me!
Keywords/Tags: Kajal Ahmad, Kurdish, translation, Kurds, birds, nomads, caravans, refuge, homeland, fly, land, flying, landing, colony, nest, nesting, Rumi, Nali
Apr 1, 2020
Apr 1, 2020 at 3:24 AM UTC
After it blossomed,
The flower said,
"Now, my beauty is beyond my control.
Now, even I am beyond my reach."
Ahmad Nadeem Qasimi, Selected Poems, The Pakistan Academy of Letters, Islamabad 1995
Apr 15, 2014
Apr 15, 2014 at 10:06 AM UTC
So what if you think I'm crazy
No phase if you can't handle me
I'm too honest for anybody's games
"Jennaveve, is that..your real name?"
No it's not, it's Jenny from the block
Work two jobs always looking at the clock.
If you want, I'd take a pit stop road trip.
Anywhere but don't make it so quick.
This is where I list off a bunch of places I'd rather be. Nothing different just different faces I'd rather see. Venice, California or Lanikai, Hawaii
I write a lot but once n a while these trapped thoughts convey messages that ought to be taught.
This rap is only half through.
For a white girl it's kind of hard to do.
Nahhh it's not being racist is inside of a box,
it's closed, locked, sealed up tight.
Only open minded people
can see daylight in the night.
"Or rides the night train
all the way to the light"-said Mr. Ahmad
I've learned that there may not be a God
And that everyone has there quirky little flaws
. But flaws are perfect to work with cause that's what's unique. Just speak the words though they come out bleak. Honesty filled with lies are more common than you think. But there is no truth, only what you live and see.
Dec 3, 2013
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:29 PM UTC
Air
by Ahmad ***
There is air between us
That touches everything
Every part of the world
Has touched some other part of the world
At some time or other
We are all living in air
There is air that we breathe
That is in us all
That is in everything
Even the deepest depths of the ocean
To the deepest cave
Still has some air
Touching
Swirling
Caressing us all the same
It blows with force sometimes
To let us know it's there
None of us are separated
Though we are separated by space
Separated by time
There might be air in between
But all of our hearts are connected
In their own ways
And every single one of us
At some point in our lives
Has been recycled by the Earth
And by the air
And by the ground
Recycled and reused
Death and rebirth
Played over and over again
Until we all are apart of each other
And we are a part of the Earth
We can't deny it
We all live here on this Earth
Breathing the same air
Taking up the same space
Living together on this Earth we call home
Jan 27, 2014
Jan 27, 2014 at 12:53 AM UTC
Dance for your Mother
Dance for your Father
Dance for the universe
Dance for the son
The universe is singing as we dance along
Our Mother is dancing, she dances in the sun
So dance when you wanna, dance when you feel
Cause the love in your heart is the only thing thats real
Everything in the universe has its own song
If we learn to listen we can sing along
The forest, the ocean, the moon, the stars,
Everything sings for the glory of god
God is the bass, God is the beat
So when you hear God's rythm tap your feet
Whirl around and tap your feet
Listen to that crazy god beat
God breathed the song into our hearts
And breathed the universe into existence
His words are in every atom, every particle that ever existed
And written in his song is his great love for all of his creation
Its written in the Mother, Its written in the Son, Its written in the Father inside everyone
The three major notes and we are the drums
We are the crazy chaos that pulls it all together
We are the x factor that ties it in place
Even as mad as things might seem
We have to keep dancing to the beat of the drum
We have to keep dancing until we are one
Our feet feel the rythm
Our souls feel the beat
Lets dance tonight, lets dance in the street
The universe is calling, it calls to everyone
It sings to our Mother who dances in the sun
If you want to dance let God show you how
Its not so hard once you get the beat
Let God take the lead
He'll take you by the hand and he will lead you to the promised land
He will take you home in his loving arms
He'll take you away where there is no harm
Dance away your tears
Dance away your sorrows
Dance away for a better tomorrow
We need the dancers to bring in the light
We need the dancers in the final night
So embrace your inner dancer and let it all out
Embrace that inner spirit let it out like a spout
Now that you've got it that is the end
Remember to always keep dancing till the end
No matter what people might say
Dance until the very last day
Ahmad ***
Nov 3, 2010
Nov 3, 2010 at 9:43 AM UTC
Ahmad Jamal and his classic tune Poincianno provided a backdrop
where I could relax and relate the poignant beauty
of the peace and madness back then surrounding
the Kennedy assassination.
Oscar Peterson churns out the notes
in a definitive yet light way
that would qualify as easy listening jazz
to some jazz buff in their weaker moments.
Eroll Gainer with his classic misty
haunts one with his
simple singularity of musical
paroxysms and leads into a fine repertoire.
George Shearing with his liltingness relaxed me
back then when I was recovering from the whole thing
And Camsey Lewis with his lightly penetrating rendition of
"The In Crowd" sustained my sense of humor and
helped me with my appreciation of mainstream jazz.
Cela, jazzmasters all to me
and yes like that light jazz
as opposed to poboy like Miles Davis
except for Charlie Parks
and yet I got into a Goth pianist Jack
then Thelonius Monk who was sorta jazzy
I acquired a mediocre taste for.
Feb 22, 2017
Feb 22, 2017 at 3:22 PM UTC
Tommy accepted Jesus
the day he turned twenty-two.
When you're raised neath the cloth,
that's just what you're suppose to do.
Down at the river
they washed away his sins,
gave him a new start on life
so he could begin again.
With a bible and a rifle
he took his "righteous" stand,
gunned down 50 "sinners",
who weren't in his God's plan.
Then he took his own life,
thinkin' heaven's waitin' for him in the blue,
but just because you believe in somethin'
doesn't always make it true.
*
Ahmad prayed to Allah
5 times every day.
A faithful boy of Islam,
then his heart began to stray.
Isis gave him food and shelter
if he would join the fight,
gave him a shroud to wear
that was black as the night.
With the promise of the virgins
fixed in his brain,
he pressed the cellphone button
and let the terror reign,
somewhere in the Koran
he believed Allah told him what to do,
but just because you believe in somethin',
doesn't always make it true.
We're all raised
in different lands,
with different holy books
in our hands.
Brainwashed to believe,
we never truly think it through,
just because you believe in somethin',
doesn't always make it true.
Jun 23, 2016
Jun 23, 2016 at 9:21 AM UTC
I was driving to work,
Listening to the morning news.
Not much happening, that Monday.
September 10th, 2001.
But then it was reported
That over in Afghanistan
A man had been assassinated.
Ahmad Shah Massoud
A resistance leader
Fighting the Taliban.
I didn't know who he was.
I didn't know why he'd been killed.
I didn't know what it meant.
But
Around the world
Some people
Important people
Were getting very worried indeed.
And then
The following day
Nineteen men
Took their seats.
Sep 8, 2013
Sep 8, 2013 at 7:24 AM UTC
Zealous
by Ahmad ***
I am zealous sometimes
When it comes to my ideals
I can be zealous sometimes when I feel I am right
But sometimes I must also be willing
To see the other side
To understand the other person
Even if I might not make the same decisions
Sometimes understanding someone else
Even if it might seem hard sometimes
Can allow me to look past my own ideals
And my own truths
To understand the ideals and truths in someone else actions
For some people this is easier said than done
But usually
If I step back
I can look with understanding
And I can see the person behind the hurt
And the bad choices
And bad decisions
And all of the mistakes
And the bigotry
And racism
And apathy
To see the actual human underneath
Jun 20, 2012
Jun 20, 2012 at 1:43 AM UTC
Life always finds a way
by Ahmad ***
The green permeates
Gives life
Mixture of life and spirit
Rolling into one
Life propagates even in the harshest conditions
Life just want to be free
No matter what you do
Life always find a way
Even when it feels like everything has been burnt away
The green glow of life still flows on
Even in situations where there seems like life shouldn't be
In some of the harshest environments
Life still finds a way
Even in the darkness
Far away from the light
Life persists
It's a lot harder to extinguish life
Then we might think
Just as soon as we think we have a handle
When we start to feel like we have control over life
Life has a way of putting us back in our place
Life was never meant to be controlled
Life is meant to just be
If we allow life to persist
To grow
To flourish
We will find that life will do just fine
If we just let it be
Jan 28, 2014
Jan 28, 2014 at 11:29 PM UTC
The highest high
by Ahmad ***
The highest high imaginable
Is achieving your dreams
And obtaining your goals
Feeling worthwhile
And feeling like
You have made
A positive difference
In someone's life
Being able to look back
At everything you have done
And understanding that you
Are exactly where
You are supposed to be
Jan 28, 2014
Jan 28, 2014 at 11:28 PM UTC
Gia
by Ahmad ***
Gia I adore you
I emplore you
Give us one more chance
Your children's folly knows no bounds
We seem bent on destruction
Bent on our own twisted ideas of justice
That justify the destruction of others
We can not see
We can not hear
The cry of Gia
The cry of our mother
She cries for us
She cries for herself
She cries for all creation
How much longer must she cry
Before we hear her
Before we recognize her
And we allow our beautiful mother Gia
To breathe
To heal
To sing
And to live
Feb 2, 2014
Feb 2, 2014 at 9:21 PM UTC
Balled Up
by Ahmad ***
I'm balled up inside.
I am slowly crawling out.
I'm awakening
Jan 27, 2014
Jan 27, 2014 at 12:54 AM UTC
I wish I could save myself from myself
by Ahmad ***
Sometimes I wish I could help me from myself
There are sometimes when I wish
I could go back and stop myself
From making those mistakes
That seemed so obvious after I have made them
Sometimes I wish
I could erase
All of the hurt I have ever caused others
The people and the friends that have come and gone
I wish that I could keep myself
From feeling hate towards others
I wish sometimes I could keep myself
From giving in to my urges
When I am feeling upset
When I am feeling low
And when I can even hear myself saying no
That I shouldn't
But I keep on anyway
I wish that I could help myself sometimes
To keep me from harming myself sometimes
But it seems like unfortunately
It just doesn't always work out that way
I end up hurting myself
And unfortunately sometimes I hurt others
But sometimes I think I just have to accept
That I am not perfect
And I am going to stray from where I feel I should be
And I am going to feel lost
And I am going to feel loss
And regret
And pain
Whether it be self inflicted or not
And that I just have to try and do my best
To try and become a better person
Than I was the last day
Jul 1, 2012
Jul 1, 2012 at 2:49 AM UTC
smaller than the table, smaller than the chair,
smaller than my father’s big boots.
like a potato, that is how small I dreamt myself.
because in spring, they put the potatoes
in the ground and that was it,
till autumn they were not disturbed any more.
I dreamt myself in the planting pocket, among them,
sleeping sweetly in the darkness,
turning on either side in summer
and then falling asleep again.
and to wake up in autumn still sleepless
and unclean like my brothers
and when it is time to dig us up, to jump above
and yell: stop digging, stop digging,
for I shall willingly come home,
if you put me back in spring,
and in spring I am the first one
to be thrown back in the planting pocket
and so on, to always stay and sleep,
from the planting pocket to the basement and from the basement to the planting pocket,
for many years, deeply asleep and forgotten.
Ioan Es. Pop
translated by Beatrice Ahmad
Jun 23, 2015
Jun 23, 2015 at 5:51 AM UTC
A place where I can be free
by Ahmad ***
I want a place someday
Where I can be free
Free to roam
Free to be myself
And to plant and grow for myself
And for anyone that might come by
I would love a place
Where I know I could make a positive difference in my community
While being able to go be by myself sometimes
When I need to be alone
And when I need some time to reflect
And to breathe
And to collect myself
I would love to be able
To be that old person in their neighborhood
Who everyones knows
And all the little kids come over
To sneak cookies from
Who knows the best secrets
And tells the best stories
And knows when it's time to rest
And when it's time to get things done
I would love to be able to build community around me
And feel the joy that can come from being connected with people in open and loving ways
Being able to accept what is
And accepting what isn't
And I would love to dance
And to love
And to live fully
With each breathe
And be able to smile
And to cry
And even sometimes wonder about the state of the world
And where this crazy world we call home is going
All in the comfort of my doorstep
And be able to know that I was home
And that other people could call my home as well
If they needed a spot to sit for a bit
And just talk about their lives
And talk about their day
But most importantly I feel like
It would be nice to just be
And to be able to enjoy life
And spread that joy to others
Jul 1, 2012
Jul 1, 2012 at 3:08 AM UTC
September 23 is for Harmony
Yippee
23 plus 5 equals 28
The birthday of Allah's Prophet (PBUH), a most memorable date
2 plus 3 equals 5
days later, God hollers, Eid Milad Saeed, we're live
Your birthday starting last night
with a full moon shining bright
I waved happy birthday with a schoolgirl's sincerity
and you said back, A rainbow lunar halo, for some a symbol of harmony
To the most honest man, the most trustworthy human
Messenger Muhammad's full of Iman and taqwa, alive with stocks boomin
A fighter against injustice, oppression, colonialism, imperialism, racism, sexism, any ill we name
As Musa said, Somebody has to explain that paper money is the key threat in this game
The Final Chosen One went low to get he and others high
Talking God's words, speaking truth respectfully to help call girls get shy
On 23, God said, Enter the world a bright smile Harmony
On 28, Here comes good people to celebrate, a beautiful bumble bee
A most lovely man, we shout for, Yay, she saying, Cheese
His humble reply, Thank you. No, please
Insisting we give thanks and show gratitude to the one who birthed The Prophet, Amina
and to the ONE who created him and his daughter al-Zahra, Fatima
God's dutiful servant urging us, More eggs in the basket for the akhirah and less in the basket for the dunya
She too would say, your Siti Haneefah
We're here today, September 28th already and tomorrow will soon be gone, no more a life
An exuberant cheer, We love you dearest Prophet and your most beloved and favored wife
For Ahmad, Hamid, Mahmud, the focus, the VIP today
From a grateful student and from a thoughtful Auntie, this poem is for The #1 Muhammad and Harmony K
By: Najwa Kareem
Sep 28, 2023
Sep 28, 2023 at 7:19 PM UTC
We are all human
by Ahmad ***
We all have a past
Everyone hurts
We all have baggage
We all have pain
We all have memories
Or experiences
That we wish that we could take away
We all have times in our lives
When we wish that we could turn back the clock
And undo those mistakes
That we can see so obviously now
There are times in our lives
When we have hurt the people we love
Whether it's been intentional or not
There are times when we wonder
If we were really meant to be here
If we really belong
And if somehow life is just one cosmic joke
With one bad thing happening after the other
We all feel lost sometimes
And like we are just drifting on the wind
Like we don't know which way
Is up or done
Which way is right
Or which way is wrong
We all feel this way
There is no escaping it
It's part of being human
We all constantly question ourselves
And our positions in life
But it's when you get to that point
When you start to find your way
And when life starts to make sense
That you can truly look back
And understand what you have gone through
Has lead you to the point
Where you are right now
And it's with that understanding
That you can start to move forward
We are all human
We all have our drama
We just have to choose to accept it
Instead of trying to fight ourselves
May 18, 2012
May 18, 2012 at 2:45 PM UTC