“Why did I do it.. why…why..."

Axis of Logic, April 2007 By Nesreen Melek, Iraqi Poet

I want to sit on Dijlah’s shore at night
Get a wooden stick and place a white candle on it
I will light the candle, will look at the sky and make a wish
I wish the past would vanish that moment
I wish to live the good days again when all worries were small
When my mother’s touch would heal my pain
When my father’s laps would comfort my soul
When my relative’s words would sooth my spirit
When my friend’s laughter would ease my days
When my country’s love would nourish my heart

What happened to Dijlah, what happened to my family and what happened to my country?

We had a life like others
We had our dreams and hopes
Our children went to school
They worked hard and became prosperous
They grew up and decided to build their country
They became engineers, doctors, teachers and others decided to choose different careers
Our women were envied by other women in the world
They were educated and strong willed
They worked hard to raise their children
Men and women worked side by side
The country was blooming
We had everything, we had peace and we had each other
But we had oil

A cowboy decided to invade the blessed soil
He broke the law where the first law was invented
He killed children even though he had children of his own
He insulted them even though he didn’t like someone to insult his own
He raped women even though he might be loved by a mother or a wife
He spread fear in the heart of the civilian
He ruined the society even though he had one of his own

Unless this cowboy will have dreams
Unless this cowboy will be loved
Unless he has a loving society to cuddle him
Unless he belongs to a country which he will be proud of
Unless he will know how to love and give
Unless he will learn how to respect others
Unless he will realize than he is not better than others
The killing, the rape and the destruction will continue

But one day Iraqi men, women and children will rise
They will stop the killing, the rape and the destruction
They will be united by the love for their country and their land
They will kick out the cowboy
The cowboy will go back to a country which will not take care of him
Then he will ask himself “why did I do it.. why…wh".