"Just as the heart beats
in the darkness of the body,
so I, despite this cage,
continue to beat with life.
Those who have no courage or
honor consider themselves free,
but they are slaves.
I am flying on the wings of thought,
and so,
even in this cage,
I know a greater freedom."
This was scratched onto a styrofoam cup using his fingernails, by Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost. Mr. Dost is an Afghani national who was released from Guantánamo in April 2006, after three years of illegal imprisonment.
"Poems from Guantánamo: The Detainees Speak" will be published this fall by the University of Iowa Press.
This was found at Never in Our Names.
4 comments:
3 years in prison he'll never get back! unbelievable!!
This, indeed, is the great poetry from the heart. In fact, the line about "flying on the wings of thought" sums up his feelings and the human condition very nicely. Thank you for sharing, Technobabe.
Nice. What spirit. I'm not a huge poetry reader, but went to a reading in Detroit last week (Andrei Codrescu and others. It was...interesting.) Have made a mental note about that book, though.
Happy Easter if you celebrate it! won't hold it against you if you don't LOL mouaaaah
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