Weekend Reflection

Earth

The earth opens her warm arms
to embrace me
The earth is my mother
She understands the sorrow
of my wandering

My wandering
is an old crow
that conquers
the very top of an aspen
a thousand times a day

Perhaps life is a crow
that each dawn
dips its blackened beak
in the holy well of the sun

Perhaps life is a crow
that takes flight with Satan’s wings

Perhaps life is Satan himself
awakening a wicked man to murder

Perhaps life is the grief-stricken earth
who has opened up her bloodied arms to me

And here I give thanks
on the brink of ‘victory’

By Partaw Naderi (1953 – present)

translated by Sarah Maguire

Partaw Naderi was born in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, in 1953. In the 1970s, shortly after he began to write poetry, he was imprisoned for three years by the Soviet-backed regime.

Have poetry, pictures, video that you think has a powerful message? Let us know and we may feature it!