WHAT DO I SEE?
In the eyes of a widow
I see the war and the killer
In the eyes of an orphan
I see the weapons dealer
In the eyes of a beggar
I see the unjust ruler
In the eyes of Easterners
I see fear, anger and tears
In the eyes of Westerners
I see drugs and depression
In the dry lands of Africa
I see the climate changing
In the melting of the Arctic ice
I see global warming
In the red eyes of my wife
I see American justice
In one eye of Kurdistan
I see Halabja and Anfal,
In the second eye I see
The map and flag
Of our non-existent country.
Editor’s note: Halabja is a city in Kurdish Iraq that was gassed by Saddam Hussein in 1988; more than 5,000 people died. Anfal was Saddam’s campaign in 1988–1989 to exterminate the Iraqi Kurds. Kurdistan does not officially exist as a country.
2007