God is the light

How great the wonders of the heavens
And the timeless beauty of the night
How great -- then how great the creator?
And its star like priceless jewels far beyond the reach of kings
Bow down for the shepard guiding him home

But how many eyes are closed to the wonder of this night?
Like pearls, hidden, deep beneath a dark stream of desires
But like dreams vanish with the call to prayer
And the dawn extinguishes night - here too are signs
God is the light
God is the light

How great the beauty of the Earth and the creatures who dwell on her
How great -- then how great the creator?
As it's mountains pierce the clouds hight about the lives of men
Weeping rivers for thousands of years

But how many hearts are closed to the wonders of this sight?
Like birds in a cage, asleep with closed wings
But as work stops with the call to prayer
And the birds recite - here too are signs
God is the light
God is the light

How great the works of man and the things he makes
How great -- then how great the creator?
Though he strives to reach the heavens he can barely survive
The wars of the world he lives in

Yet how many times he's tried, himself to immortalize?
Like his parents before him in the garden of Eden
But like the sun sets with the call to prayer
And surrenders to the night here too are signs
God is the light everlasting
God is the light everlasting
By Yosuf Islam 

Declassified

To My Father

 Click on the link to hear a short and touching poem by a Guantanamo detainee.

Winter storm

Every winter I ask myself why I still live here.

For Omar

Anger is my prison
Prison bars, long and hard
Anger that finds no release, no relief
Fueled by blood and pundits on the TV screen
React or don't, defend or wont
They're coming
Unprovoked they will come to snatch away my dignity
Humiliate me
Turn my people against me
Threaten them to renounce me
Like Yousef, I'll languish behind bars
Waiting for freedom in death or life
While they play with words
Redefined and re-described
to persecute others for lesser crimes
They purchase evil in exchange for righteousness 
This world in exchange for the next

Reflection on darkest days

Love and faith waver
Yesterday I believed and today I do so to a lesser degree
I loved and today I am less devastated by not having it returned
I lived and now I do so with less vigor
I learned, now I do so but less keener
I laughed, now my laugh lacks honesty
I dreamed, now it grows darker
I hoped, but now it fades
Yesterday I loved and had faith

Gutter Water

Ugly sister of the mountain stream
In imitation of natural beauty you beam
Flowing over crumbled streets
Saturated in dirt we knock off our feet
To reach the ocean, what a difficult feat!
One that you will surely beat
Thrashing wheels that cut your vain
Splashing children cause you pain
When you catch the light, you glitter and shine
Trudging forward, even in the worst of times

Some images are hard to forget ...

One by one

Shuhada Street

Soldier on Sister