Ibrahim Qashoush (born 3 September 1977 - died 4 July 2011) was a fireman and amateur poet from Hama, Syria. He sang and authored songs mocking Syrian president. On 4 July 2011, Qashoush was found dead in the Orontes River, his throat cut and his vocal cords ripped out. After his murder, fellow protesters hailed Qashoush as the "nightingale of the revolution". This poem is for him.
A
dawn chorus sung from within your dusk
What
they took from you cannot be measured
Immeasurable
loss
Daily
slips through fingers
Raised
in protest
Raised
in the expectation of change
Nightingale
of the revolution
So
cruelly silenced
As
you sang of freedom
Prisoners
came to your door
And
ripped your finely tuned instrument
From
you
It
is too much to contemplate
As
the river flows on
Others
will make music and sing …
Showing
forth spring before its appearing
And
many more will doubtless die
What
will it take for the shut door
To
creak open?
When
will it be? When will she rise?
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