Poem 4

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Brother Abbass

[Written by sister Maryam Hilli.]

Chorus

People show me, where my brother Abbass is
People take me to where his body sits
Tell me people tell me where can I find him
Tell me people tell me where can I find him

Brother Abbas you were my light
You were that moon that shone so bright
Now with you gone, where is my light
My days are dark now, there is no light.

Brother Abbass, the children are crying
While they sit here their fathers are dying
Who will wipe their tears now
Who will bring tem water, how will I manage how?

Brother Abbas, you were the bearer
Of Hussain’s flag and the children,
You were their carer
Now with you gone, the flag has fallen down
Who will pick it up from off the ground?

I cannot bear to see you not here
Who will look after us and remove our fear
Brother Abbas, beloved brother,
You were truly a beloved brother.

How will I face Um Al-Baneen,
How will I tell her, of her son
She will faint when she hears this,
She will cry when she knows this,
That her beloved abbas,
No longer exists.

Brother Abbas, look at Hussain
Now with you gone he is all pain
His remaining brother, his beloved brother
Has now left him, and has now gone
Hussain your brother, who calls out
“where is abbas, where’s my brother”
While he sits there, looking around
Thinking of words to tell the others,
Who wait for your return with delight,
But you wont return to them this night.

Brother Abbass, see Sukaina, see her silence
She does not speak, Since you left her,
She has not asked, for a drop of water.
Sukaina is here, she sits here crying,
Calling “Uncle Abbas, I don’t want you dying,
Leave the water, leave the river,
Just come back so we’ll be together!!”

Brother Abbass, who will help us,
When they come to burn our tents,
When they pull away our headscarves,
Brother Abbass who will save us
From walking bare-footed on the burning hot sands.

Brother Abbass what did they do to you,
Brother Abbass, they were not a few.
They cur both your arms, without mercy,
They burst the water pouch viciously
They aimed for arm by arm until
They cut your blessed arms.
Brother Abbass, they aimed at your eye,
Making it difficult for you to see
Hussain once more, before you die!

People show me, where my brother Abbass is
People take me to where his body sits
Tell me people tell me where can I find him
Tell me people tell me where can I find him

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