Scheduled for Ashura 2026. Written Muharram 2009.
The Rising
I am Hussain
and I have risen
so too Qasim, Abbas and Hur
and Zainab, dear Zainab
bears witness to our deaths
again
in preference to life with humiliation.
And amongst her tears and
those of whom we leave behind
Is the consolation that bears
witness eternally.
That they that hate
and mutilate and hurt us
Murder us and trample upon us dead,
fail
here and hereafter
for we die with dignity
and our torch, our fire –
our call for justice
and the struggle to ensure its final final victory – burns
never to be extinguished
neither in Karbala
or Filisteen.
I am Hussain and I have risen in Gaza:
“Is there anyone here to help me?”
3 January 2009 / 7 Muharram 1430 written during Operation Cast Lead
This and other poems by Arzu, alongside Narjis Khan and Zainab Ali, can be found in the poetry volume Every Day and Every Land: Poems on the Tragedy of Karbala. Artwork from the ‘Journey of Love‘ collection by Mohammed Hamza / Intifada Street.
