Poetry Tournament

I thought I would take part in the Protagonize Seasonal Poetry Tournament. My poetry writing skills were quite rusty so I was not expecting much, just a whole load of fun and much practice. Funny thing is I made it to the penultimate round but did not make it to the final. Good enough for me and great fun too. Here are the poems I submitted as part of the challenges in the order they were submitted:

Title: Hunting the Hunter

Animal: Fox

I pricked up my ears and followed the scent,

With food aplenty, only fools would relent.

My nose twitched, excited, as my eyes scanned the field,

One prey then two, I counted, their fate would soon be sealed.

I charged and attacked, dug my teeth in but backtracked,

A loud bang resounded, then blood flowed from impact.

It seems that I, the hunter, was also the hunted,

By two legged mammals, I had been outsmarted.


An acrostic poem about my worst fear

Losing sense of those around,
Often I find I am pushing away,
Naked displays of ardour, to
easily find a way to downplay,
Longings, of many a face, those deep
images of grace and love but
Not here. I’m without a smile,
Elbowing away companionship and
Staying in exile,
Sailing away, a hundred and more a mile.

Title: Giving in and Giving out

Event: Famine

She’s slumped in despair trying hard to stop needing,

While her baby cries,

Her body crippled and deprived takes on another beating,

And she sighs.

Aching to find a thick slab of stone and around her waist she ties,

Still hunger lingers,

Her baby’s tears, streaming down a ghostly face, are food for the flies,

Fists enclose fingers.

A parched existence continues for today kept alive by singers,

in the camp,

it is a song that cuts through the endless pain, thirst, frailty and hinders,

a stomach clamp.

Thoughts of long gone days of nourishment invade leaving a stamp,

In her mind,

It does nothing but intensifies the destitute longing and she feels a cramp,

She is resigned.

Dizziness whirls her around and soon her vision is less defined,

Fighting on she tries,

But her baby has gone awfully quiet and in darkness she’s enshrined,

Slipping away she dies.

Rally in Sydney

A crowd gathered for a rally today in Sydney's Hyde Park. Being so far away from all that is happening in Egypt was no deterrent for sharing the sentiments and showing support. But it was not only Egyptians who were there today. Other Arabs and non-Arabs looked past faiths and differences and stood together. Many were chanting in English and Arabic. Spirits were high. There was a minute of silence to remember those who died in the protests in Egypt. The Egyptian national anthem rang through the air as the crowd sang in unison. And a group prayer for those who died followed.

Here are some pictures and a video from the scene today:

"30 Years of Oppression are Enough" says one sign. "Give people the chance to have a voice" says another.

"We want you to leave NOW" says the sign.

"JUSTICE. Free Egypt. Liberty"

"Why cut off Internet / Mobile Network in Egypt?"

A group prayer (Salat Ghaa'ib) for those who died in the protests in Egypt.

A man draped in the Egyptian flag amidst the praying.

Here's a video of the crowd singing the Egyptian national anthem. The chanting after the singing says "Muslims and Christians - we are all Egyptians."

Being Egyptian

First it was Tunisia and now it is Egypt. It is bitter sweet in a sense. Sweet that a revolution might just be the answer to correct all that which is wrong. Bitter that it took the courage of one nation to drive another. More bitterness in that this might be haphazard and at the cost of Egypt's security and stability. No revolution is without costs and risks do have to be taken for the future of the country's children. They do have a right to live a good life in their country, to feel safe, secure and a part of a great nation.

Revolution is not new to Egypt. Its history is rich with it. The Egyptians as a people have always had resolve. They have always spoken out but they always acted out and set a direction for themselves and for their country at the same time. Egyptians are doers. So when the protests happened on January 25th it made me wonder. Why now? Was it Tunisia that motivated the streets to take shape and come alive? Egypt has a  huge square in the middle of Cairo called the Liberty Square. This was the place that witnessed yesterday's protests. But the square has always been there and it has been always been called the Liberty Square - a testament to what Cairo has endured throughout the years. Did it take another country for the Egyptians to see what they had and are capable of in their own backyard, to tap into their history and learn from the heroes of the past?

I am not all pessimism. If this is the start of something good and worthy for Egypt then it is time to turn my attention there again. If this means a promise of change, positive change, a bright future then I am all eyes, ears and heart for Egypt. The land of the Nile, that mesmerises a thousand times over, day or night. A country that has witnessed more than humanity can imagine. A culture that runs deep in my veins and goes back through centuries and time, crosses religions and brings together faiths. If the true essence of what it means to be Egyptian shines through as a result of these protests then my heart will start beating to the rhythm of it again.