Life or Death

Ahmad Al-Khatat

My spirit have
Asked me questions,
Like a musician
Playing melancholy flute

Life or death?
Wilder wounds always extend
Hope or fortune?
Burning tears and not fallen

Skeleton or flesh?
Autumn cloud raining blood
Hard or warm hearted?
Heartbroken to be heartless

Mirror or shades?
The wind of late hours
Morning or dawn?
Twilight in the dell road

Cured or luck?
The sorrow of demon
Nightingale or nightmare?
Hidden dream of the future

Vampire or empire?
Slaughter sword in the graveyard
Figurine or fame?
The dictator forgives and never forget

Ink or a notepad?
Thoughts that can be judge by God
Sickness or inspiration?
A misery blooming in a colourless rose

Whisper or tears?
Echo of a lost spirit in Baghdad
Hunter or ghost?
Enemy who hates himself mostly

Party or funeral?
Holiday with a bloody screaming
Nest or mysteries?
Burning candle celebrating my lonesome.

Unknown Path

From the day
I decided to damage
Your life and break
Every beat of my heart

I walked down
The unknown path
I ran into trouble
In the wrong places

I lived a life
Of unborn mind set
Crying in holidays
Gagging in funerals

Your beauty became
The sunshine to my darkness
And I am still avoiding
Missing you on my birthday

I hated me before we met
I loved nobody but the army
That follows the leader of death
Break my legs and let me love you again.

On The Leaves

On the leaves
Of autumn season,
They are colour
Of your flesh.

On the leaves
Of spring flowers,
They will breathe
Of your perfume.

On the leaves
Of the notebook,
They are lines
With your name.

On the leaves
Of life journey,
Joy and tears
Of one being.

On the leaves
Of poetry book,
Rebound and dark
Are the themes.

On the leaves
Of colorful mirror,
Reflects your smile
Against my request.

On the leaves
Of blind eyed,
Joys arises when
Dreams become hopes.

Ahmad Al-Khatat was born in Baghdad, Iraq. His work has appeared in print and online journals globally and has poems translated into several languages. He has been nominated for Best of the Net 2018. He is the author of The Bleeding Heart Poet, Love On The War’s Frontline, Gas Chamber, Wounds from Iraq, Roofs of Dreams, and The Grey Revolution. He lives in Montreal, Canada.