Prison Cell by Mahmoud Darwish

Mahmoud Darwish, one of the great poets of our time passed away, he has touched the lives of a lot of people... People who still long for a homeland...

When I was working in Saudi Arabia, I have lots of Palestinian friends, who's sentiments were shared with me, Mahmoud Awad, Hassan Abo-Nofal and their families, and others. I always travelled back to my homeland Philippines then for vacation, and I would say, 'I'm going home'... And they would say... 'It's good you have a home, we don't'.

For you my friends.. let me share you this moving one...

The Prison Cell
by Mahmoud Darwish

It is possible...
It is possible at least sometimes...
It is possible especially now
To ride a horse
Inside a prison cell
And run away...
It is possible for prison walls
To disappear,
For the cell to become a distant land
Without frontiers:
-What did you do with the walls?
-I gave them back to the rocks.
-And what did you do with the ceiling?
-I turned it into a saddle.
-And your chain?
-I turned it into a pencil.
The prison guard got angry.
He put an end to my dialogue.
He said he didn't care for poetry,
And bolted the door of my cell.
He came back to see me
In the morning,
He shouted at me:
-Where did all this water come from?
-I brought it from the Nile.
-And the trees?
-From the orchards of Damascus.
-And the music?
-From my heartbeat.
The prison guard got mad;
He put an end to my dialogue.
He said he didn't like my poetry,
And bolted the door of my cell.
But he returned in the evening:
-Where did this moon come from?
-From the nights of Baghdad.
-And the wine?
-From the vineyards of Algiers.
-And this freedom?
-From the chain you tied me with last night.
The prison guard grew so sad...
He begged me to give him back
His freedom.