Poetry: Olfa Philo Drid

1. Circus

I wonder why perverts are not ashamed to trap and (cyber) bully their prey 
while victims should be ashamed to unveil and report them?

why rapers are not ashamed to abuse and rape their victims
while the raped should keep silent to avoid scandal?

why bribers are not ashamed to bribe & falsify documents to reach their ends 
while the poor and innocent have to be patient and complain to none but God?

why sorcerers are not ashamed to commit undetectable horrible crimes
while the victims should swallow the poison in silence and mistake the topic for a taboo one?

why bitches are not ashamed to kidnap husbands and break families
while wives should be ashamed to expose them or seek divorce?

why adulterers are not ashamed to womanize and betray their wives 
while their wives have to tolerate them and pretend to be deaf and blind?

why employers are not ashamed to sexually harass their female employees
while the victims need to keep silent to safeguard their bread?

why occupiers allow themselves to bombard the occupied territories
while the colonized are denied the right to defend themselves?

why evildoers are always proud of their criminal deeds
while good- hearted victims need to blush and hide in a corner?

why the corrupt and villains walk with their heads held high 
while the afflicted have to bury their heads in the sand like ostriches?

what the heck's going on in this upside- down world ?
why is the good ridiculed and the evil is in vogue?


2. A Republic Somewhere

Olfa Philo Drid
I once dreamt of a republic 
where poets are the legislators, 
politicians are the cleaners and where 
candidates for presidency are elected 

according to their fame as writers...

I once dreamt of a republic
where rulers are writers and poets 
and where taxes are collected to 
help creative disadvantageous writers 
publish their books and reach larger audience...

I once dreamt of a republic
where banknotes are used as handkerchiefs,
and where people are required to pay their purchases 
with poems and if ever they feel short of inspiration, 
they can pay with a bundle of flowers instead…

I once dreamt of a republic 
where doctors cure their fellow human beings free of charge
except for the prayers their receive from those ailing patients
and the gifts they could afford to offer them…

I once dreamt of a republic
where social classes are divided according to the color of hearts;
where the upper-class people are the ones with the whitest hearts 
while the lower- class people are the ones with the blackest hearts …

I once dreamt of a republic
where football players are marginalized and in case of need, 
they are invited to entertain people for free before big cultural events 
and receive nothing in exchange except awards, medals and cups…

I once dreamt of a republic
where lawyers are obliged to defend 
the oppressed for free and expect nothing 
in exchange except God's blessings…

I once dreamt of a republic 
where sex is prohibited and couples are allowed 
to exchange only compliments, caresses, kisses and hugs 
and are taught by a spiritual guru how to contain their sexual drives 
and how to transcend their animalistic needs…

I once dreamt of a republic 
where married couples are obliged to wear identical clothes 
like twins each day to keep remembering the solemn oath they swore 
on their wedding day to remain forever two souls in one...

I once dreamt of a republic 
where criminals are punished by doing labors to soften their hearts
like taking care of senile people and orphans or helping charity 
organizations in their mission of humanizing the world…

I once dreamt of a republic
where high-tech gadgets are broken into pieces 
and people are obliged to devote themselves to their family members 
and relatives instead of the alien ones across the ocean…

I once dreamt of a republic
where bars are destroyed and replaced instead 
by sports centers to which depressed people go 
to relieve stress and anxiety in a healthy way…
I once dreamt of a republic
where gossipers and enviers are arrested and jailed 
and they are punished each morning by being obliged 
to drink detergent products to cleanse 
their mouths, bodies, hearts and souls…

I once dreamt of a republic 
where sorcerers and witches are burned in fire 
together with their dangerous esoteric books and talismans
to say halt to those unprovable horrible crimes committed
with the help of their worshipped devils !

I once dreamt of a world
where people travel without passports 
and everywhere they go, they find their fellow human(e) beings 
to provide them with food and shelter …

I once dreamt of a world
where people are not allowed to expose their religions 
and are called to practice their rituals secretly in their homes
and let their behavior (not appearance) reflect their good or evil nature…

I once dreamt of a world
where the demonic vibes of power, wealth and control of the masses 
suddenly metamorphose into angelic vibes of empathy, sympathy
love and peace overwhelming each and every nation…
  

3. premeditated denial

dye your hair everyday
blond, red, black or even grey
but useless !
man's libido is plural…
be the chameleon he wants you to be;
once wise, once naughty,
once sexy, once shy
but useless !
same smell everyday
makes his virility die...

smile, laugh, shout or scream
argue, threaten or blame
punish, punch or praise
go to extremes!
but useless !
being alone in his life
entombs his phallic dreams…
your lips? pump and plump!
breasts? lift, reduce or enlarge!
buttocks? enhance or implant silicon
resort to a facelift
liposuction or botox
consume all the shit
the market offers you
to sell you fake dreams
mistaken for true
but useless!
man's libido is plural…

put and parade your sexy underwear
be the porn star
who makes him stare
but useless!
once in the cage,
he'll no longer care...

be trendy, “connected” and "in" !
buy the latest perfume to win
his heart, his mind, his skin
but useless!
loyalty for him is a sin…

metamorphose each day to be up- to-date
be 15 at the age of 50
confuse time, age and values
never stable, always shifty
but useless!
his attention? always drifty...

control his phone, his calls, his moves
bombard him with questions
if he changes his familiar groove
but useless!
his innate drives,
you can never improve...

change your eyes, your eyelids,
your eyebrows, your nose
your teeth, your cheekbones!
but useless!
most of them are clones…

keep fit ! go to the gym !
go on a diet if fat
gain some weight if slim
but useless!
you'll never satisfy his ever-changing whim…

do all ridiculous things
spend all your money
to look like Miss Universe !
but useless!
he'll worship you for some months
then later you'll find him seduced
by an assistant or a nurse ...

go crazy! explode!
sell your soul to the devil
to be the unique female in his life!
compete with the moon
to look perfect in his eye!
but useless!
you're forcing ourself
to believe in a big lie…


4. (in)justice

juggle with words & lie
papers & documents, falsify 
as long as there are lawyers...

smuggle & plunder
force the weak to knuckle under
as long there are lawyers…

profit, tempt & bribe 
spread your negative vibes
as long as there are lawyers…

harass & aggress
deny & never confess
as long as there are lawyers ...

disfigure & rape
threaten & escape
as long as there are lawyers...

exploit & kidnap
get ransoms & avoid traps
as long as there are lawyers…

kill & pretend to be crazy
postpone cases for ages &
keep everything hazy
as long as they are lawyers…

violate & infringe laws
if caught, unveil your claws
as long as there are lawyers...

steal others' money & hide
judges? mislead and misguide 
as long as there are lawyers...

protect the guilty & criminal
your message to others? subliminal...
as long as there are lawyers...

use money, status & power 
use all means to tower
as long as justice is an undefined signifier...

5. fallacious democracy

shout
insult
burn flags
demonstrate
exercise your human rights
with all your might!
but we are the world legislators
& all should respect our traffic light (…)


criticize
write petitions
break your necks
go on a hunger strike
exercise your human rights
with all your might!
but none can ever escape
from the control of our satellites(…)


boycott
denounce
protest
revolt
exercise your human rights
with all your might!
but we have always been deaf
& we''ll do what is (for us) right (…)

we
change
the world map;
annex
colonize
legitimize
criminalize
penalize
yet
all
according
to our delight!

if you don't like
this democracy,
we'll show you
your burial site!

No comments :

Post a Comment

We welcome your comments related to the article and the topic being discussed. We expect the comments to be courteous, and respectful of the author and other commenters. Setu reserves the right to moderate, remove or reject comments that contain foul language, insult, hatred, personal information or indicate bad intention. The views expressed in comments reflect those of the commenter, not the official views of the Setu editorial board. рдк्рд░рдХाрд╢िрдд рд░рдЪрдиा рд╕े рд╕рдо्рдмंрдзिрдд рд╢ाрд▓ीрди рд╕рдо्рд╡ाрдж рдХा рд╕्рд╡ाрдЧрдд рд╣ै।