November 07, 2011
Eid Poem
WHAT HAPPENED TO A WORLD
My mother cross-legged
On the verandah rug
Scent of mustard oil
Her glistening hair
Fat cook on bike
Midday tiffin to Father
I open my jaw to Maa
Purse my lips to moo
Fleece white as snow on K2
Bathe my lamb Maamoo
In an oval tin tub
Under the grand oak
Eid al-Adha
Day of sacrifice
The cook ropes Maamoo’s legs
Mother pulls at her hair
Pleading with Father
Knife at Maamoo’s throat
In the name of Allah
Father’s Bismillah
Blood crescent soaking grass
Mamoo’s head at my feet
Eyes reflecting light
Of dead stars
Rafiq Kathwari is a guest writer at 3 Quarks Daily.
Posted by S. Abbas Raza at 12:20 AM | Permalink
Comments
As Ghalib has put this in one of his verses....."even after slaughtering the poor animal,the murderer is promised a reward,strange is your justice o ALLAH"
Posted by: irfan hassan | Nov 7, 2011 12:16:57 PM
My sister and I were given two lambs when we were 8 and 11 - mine was called Lunch, hers was killed for dinner. My father worked on the principal that, unless you could kill it you did not deserve to eat it - you can imagine the rest, the drip, drip, drip of it.
Posted by: JL | Nov 7, 2011 1:47:52 PM
Irfan, would love to read the original Ghalib verse in Urdu, even romanized. Thanks
Posted by: Rafiq Kathwari | Nov 7, 2011 1:50:10 PM
Those eyes are never closed, I have seen as well- the light of dead stars!
Posted by: Asif Kathwari | Nov 8, 2011 12:16:56 AM
Sparse and striking!
Posted by: Lanis | Nov 8, 2011 4:24:12 PM
Jaluddin Rumi in his Mathnavi wrote"If you are not ready to say Allah o Akbar on the satan hidden in yourself, spare the animal."
Gripping poetry!
Posted by: saleem Mir | Nov 8, 2011 9:29:33 PM
May the stars live again. Brilliant, Rafiq
Posted by: Mridu Rai | Nov 10, 2011 10:52:12 AM
Your poem recalling the sacrifice of your pet lamb Mamoo( the slit throat a bloody murder to a child) is powerful.
You give us particulars of a faith (Islam) and share the horror that child feels. His mother, too, wants to rescue the innocent lamb so the son is also pulled between the parents. Good immediate language although I didn't know what K2 was or tiffin (something to eat delivered by the cook?)
Posted by: Colette Inez | Nov 15, 2011 1:11:03 PM
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