Freedom

حينما اقـتـيدَ أسيرا
قَــفــَزَتْ دمــعتـُـهُ
ضاحِــكـَـةً:
ها قد تحرّرتُ أخيرا!

When he was cuffed.. a prisoner
His tear bounced
laughing:
“I have finally been liberated!”

- Ahmad Mattar, Lafitat

What I find extremely powerful about these words is the combination of sarcasm, disappointment, and despair they convey on one hand and the sense of victory, satisfaction, and liberation prevailing on the other. A “tear” is normally a product of sorrow, but when it falls from the eye, it is also being released from a “cell”…it is being liberated and hence, ultimately, victorious.

People who are being detained, questioned, and imprisoned for practicing a fundamental human right: EXPRESSION are in fact sending a stronger message through their ordeal…a message that strengthens the voice of those who were already active…and awakens those who were asleep.