Description
This excerpt from Songs for Muska features an incredible text by Somaia Ramish, a poet from Af-ghanistan, expertly translated by Farzana Marie and featured in her book Load Poems Like Guns.
Load Poems like Guns from the larger work performed the Marietta College Concert Choir, Dr. Jay Dougherty, conductor.
Text
Load poems like guns — war’s geography calls you to arms.
The enemy has no signs, counter-signs,
colors
signals
symbols!
Load poems like guns — each moment is loaded with bombs
bullets
blasts
death-sounds —
death and war
don’t follow rules
you can make your pages into white flags a thousand times
but swallow your words, say no more. Load your poems —
your body —
your thoughts —
like guns.
The schoolhouses of war rise up
within you.
Maybe you
are next.
~ Somaia Ramish, translated by Farzana Marie, used with permission from Load Poems Like Guns, Holy Cow! Press, 2015
