Self Respect
Woe to him that accepts from others favors
or charity
And his neck bent with favors without
shame or self-pity!
Consumes himself by consuming the favours
given to him,
And sells his honour for a coin so paltry,
Happy the man who thirsting in the sun
Does not crave of Khidhr a cup of water!
His brow is not moist with the shame of
beggary;
He is a man still, not a piece of clay…
Muslim WakeUp
Marshall the meek of my world. Arise, set
them free.
Seize the towers of the rich. Rock the
tyrannies.
Lift the slaves: ignite them. Instill a
faith that rocks.
Teach the feeble sparrow to fight the
taloned hawk.
Power belongs to the people; their kingdom
has come.
Destroy the totems of tyranny; their history
is done.
Why do the toiling peasants reap death
and misery?
Capture the granite castles. Seize the
granaries.
Why do they disconnect the worshippers
from me?
I do not need priests to parse my words
for me.
I have no use for gilded walls and ornamented
frieze.
Build me a tabernacle with mud, thatch
and leaves.
This age of smokes and mirrors: is this
modernity?
Move the poet: make him rage. Hitch him
to Eternity.
M. Shahid Alam is professor of economics
at Northeastern University. His last book, Poverty from the Wealth of Nations,
was published by Palgrave in 2000. Visit his webpage at msalam.net.
The World's Most Popular
Muslim Online Magazine
http://muslimwakeup.com
Email: info@muslimwakeup.com
