Poem: Life Has Taught Me
Anwar al-Attar expresses:
Life has taught me the value of patience,
Firmly binding what was a distant wish.
I equipped myself with the essential wisdom of endurance,
And drew the lessons of time closer to me.
I choose not to rush,
Leaving the unknown betwixt doubt and belief.
My destiny will never be someone else’s,
So I will train myself to cherish the bliss of patience.
It has taught me that childhood is a spectrum of colors,
And that love is forever youthful.
If you conceal your love, you’ll hide the pain,
But if you reveal it, scandal becomes your companion.
To obey love is to succumb to deceptions,
And the path of love is one of vulnerability and humility.
Amidst its essence, even the wise falter; nothing saves,
Beware, for reproach offers no guard.
It has enlightened me that existence is a struggle,
Only the brave can truly engage in conflict.
I have boldly embraced my aims without fear,
For the soul requires effort and resolve.
It is only the coward who dreads the fight,
Carrying within him trepidation and distress.
True courage lies in steadfast determination,
And in those who prioritize resilience and clarity.
Poem: You and Time
Farouk Joudeh writes:
In your eyes, I have placed my hopes,
And now I seek to forgive my past.
I’ve spent my life searching for you as a dream,
Seeing you linger within my very essence for years.
I left my heart with you, unguarded,
Fearing it may perish if I approach.
So, if they ever ask you about my heart,
And how it lives lost in dreams,
Tell them your love was a melody,
Like a dream that flickered in the night of time.
I loved you once during my wandering..
And in your eyes, I seek to forgive my past.
Poem: A Day Is a Lifetime
Farouk Joudeh continues:
A day is a lifetime we shall spend together,
Do not let it dissolve in sorrows.
What is life, my world, but a fleeting hour,
And perhaps life is but a few moments long?
Does the bloom matter once it departs?
Can the spring’s sorrow soothe the longing of branches?
For life, much like flowers, is a transient day,
So let us relish in its sweet nectar, however brief.
Poem: I Wasted My Life Trying to Fix You
Poet Al-Hassan Al-Habal remarks:
I squandered my life in seeking to mend your state,
While you never pondered your own fate.
I see you confident in life’s nightly trials,
While you have stood firm against betrayal and harm.
You became ensnared by the earthly allure,
Unaware that it’s leading to your own demise.
How many hearts have you burdened with hope,
Enduring what is beyond their capacity?
What you longed for does not come swiftly,
But your transience is undeniable as well.
So live in your sufficiency and labor,
For a day will come when you will forget your children.
You will approach it humbly, in a state of despair,
Not knowing your right from left.
In your youth, you blindly headed towards naivety,
So why not shift your focus in your declining years?
Patience is what awaits you in the past,
And lesser than the dust beneath your feet.
Should an offer come your way, reject it,
And say to them, “Not tonight, for I am not one of yours.”
As you adorn yourself to deceive me,
I see nothing uglier than your charms.
Had you been a shadow in the heat of summer,
Perhaps I would not have turned to seek your shade.
So burn me as you wish with your rejection, for I welcome,
Discontent with the illusions of your affection.
True nobility doesn’t follow the sly,
If they once threw darts more piercing than arrows.
For your haram brings punishment to the people,
And accountability for what is allowed.
Stay cautious, or you will perish, for it is the root of calamities,
Those who preceded you are evidence of your downfall.
Many have built kingdoms and monuments,
So where now are those realms and structures?
If you understand the inevitable journey,
Gather the provisions for that departure.
And shun the misguided paths that entrap the seekers,
For the path of truth is clearly marked.
Why remain in folly? You weep for nothing,
The ignorance of your blindness leads to delusion.
Awaken, for your time slips away,
And hold your accountability dear as you traverse the calamities.
Question yourself about what you will answer on the day of reckoning,
When your record is opened, and your deeds are revealed.
Fear your Lord in silence and cry to Him,
In your despair, strive for His mercy and be humble.
Monitor your behavior during each moment,
For He will ease your troubled condition on that day.
Avoid transgression, lest you be engulfed,
In a night filled with sorrows and misery.
And if faced with tribulations, be patient,
For perhaps after that, new doors will open for you.
Countless adversities have brushed by,
As if they never touched your life in any way.
And many lessons you’ve learned from your trials,
As the nights have carved wisdom into your being.