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Benghazi: A Tribute

A tarnished jewel thrown in the mud of forgotten cities
Benghazi, a town whose past 36 years have been full of endless pities
Though, every first of September, Benghazi hears of great feats
All we can see is garbage and filth in its streets

Where should I begin?

With its children Gadhaffi infected with Aids
Or with the innocents’ assassinations and random house raids
With the deportation of those who seek refuge from his oppression
Or with the hundreds his goons murdered overseas in aggression
With the public hangings of those who opposed his regime
Or with the imprisonment of those who upholded His Deen
With the murder of those who believed in freedom of speech
Or with the sewage and contamination that he polluted its beach
With its thousands upon thousands he forced into exile
Or with its thousands upon thousands imprisoned without trial
With its education system that has ceased to exist
Or with its diseases and destruction he continues to persist
With its endless influx of foreigners through its borders
Or with the illegal drugs they bring along with them and disorder
With its nonexistent health care where Libyans abide
Or with its medical care they are forced to beg for outside
With its widows and orphans he created from Chad
Or with its widows and orphans he continues to add
With the disappearance of those concerned with human rights
Or with the blood of its scholars he continues to fight
With the poverty of a people who deserve to be rich
Or with his sons’ lifestyles that would envy Abercrombie & Fitch
With his visits through Africa and parades through their streets
Or with our money he carelessly throws at their feet
With its vast unemployment and hopelessness of its youth
Or with his secret police that muffle the truth
With the questioning of youth who regularly pray
Or with the encouragement of youth to smoke and drink “graaba” all day

Long gone are its days of grace I used to hear about from my father
Who refuses to return for fear those memories he’ll bother
We, the generation of Libya abroad
We, the generation that has suffered your fraud
Witness September 1 as our National Day of Sorrow
Hoping against hope that Allah transforms our tomorrow

Libyerican 50/50
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