Stop Slaughtering the World

Ahmad Al-Khatat

When I saw the orphan was mute
the widow hesitated to run
the instant she stopped hearing his moaning.
Turns out that the entire world weeps 
-continuously at the headless corpses.

We struggle with influential words, 
We die by the death penalty with no empathy, 
We fight with ineffective missiles & weapons,
We die like a tree that falls in the woods alone.
We die proudly for preferring to stand up in peace.

O enemy, why do I perceive my blood rusting your dagger?
I donated my spirit to procure you back to your family
This world taught me to treat you like a welcoming guest 
I want to hug you with your horrible knife stabbing my flesh
just listen to my last words, will you stop slaughtering the world?

Shake my blind father's hands without sharing sorrow 
He bleeds with tears and dreams of a country that doesn’t 
-terrify children, my imagination clarifies to me that I 
will hear more laughter from my grandfather in the paradise 
like the times when I heard birds singing & not the noise of fallen missiles.



Brightness 

When the moon misses its brightness 
I feel lonely as a forgotten painting in the gallery at dusk

Do you remember the moments we sipped the sun wine?
I absorb the biological colours of the rainbow

Then splash them above the grey clouds of autumn.
More birds would rise into the blue of her eyes, 

They attacked my birthplace and crushed my heart in their infirmary.
I lost my hand and since then I became an alcoholic 

Who prays after drinking whiskey from a homesick teacup?
Sad! 
Why so!! 
Don't be!!! 
My neighbour doesn't seem 
informed of the coffin I'm carrying since I accepted your friendship...




If You Waited 

If you have waited for me at this hour
I'd take your hands and educate you on the new alphabet
With unique phrases of encouragement
Your lips will never be dry but mostly moist.

You may portray me as a dusty typewriter
Since you see tears on the windows of my eyes
Flying dead leaves of optimism in my spirit
Sad & love poems are hung in my brain to death. 

You say I’ve seen you here many times.
You asked, who am I to untie your knotted heart? 
I am a boat of long silence and gathered grief
my writings could never bloom more lovers.

This earth or this planet is not a familiar door
The stream hasn't revealed the face of my beloved
O farmer, keep your seeds asleep and fantasy 
of the rain ‘till you pour your tears above your farm.


Aggressive Insomnia 

The night appears beautifully decorated 
with a moon surrounding the glowing stars 
My mind expects to jump into another battle 
With thoughts beneath the dust of a blade.

I rest my body and forcefully close my eyes, 
Endless nightmares hold my throat and breathe
The muscles numb from all empty-handed
My mouth refuses to yell at the dark cloud.

Aggressive insomnia doesn't understand the 
meaning of morning rain or gleaming snow.
Today's world could not reach out to my love
If I wrongly survive then I'd force myself to drink.

What should I hold to sleep in consensus?
The sun has died in my world of difference
I chose to smoke over unnecessary friendship
I successfully hid your corpse but failed to find my own.


Ahmad Al-Khatat was born in Baghdad, Iraq. His work has appeared in print and online journals globally. He has poems translated into several languages such as Farsi, Mandarin, Spanish, Albanian, and Romanian. He has published some poetry chapbooks, and a collection of short stories. He has been nominated for Best of the Net 2019 and was also nominated for the Pushcart Prize for 2020.