Taken life as a divine test,
God may suprise us well;
You may be probed in a sudden,
As others been as well.
Once – it happened somewhere-
Events of a crescent’s,
Among proper white houses, and –
Inhabitants like saints.
Good, bearded men wearing white robes,
And meek, hidden women –
Under beard-black spacious chador,
Lived there godly driven.
***
Men, hand by hand left the crescent,
Helping one another,
While women took their child to school,
Wearing pious chador.
They were sweeping other’s forefront,
And taking other’s child;
They used to live in harmony,
Till mildness became wild.
Once, before the sunrise prayer,
A beer can in the dawn –
Was thrown into the crescent’s ground,
And the purity was gone.
***
“What a poisonous surprise is-
There, a greeny beer can,
Where alcohol was never seen”-
Was thinking the first man.
Passing by it without a word,
Frowned likely the next one:
“Who could possess this possessed can?”
Escaping the third one:
The Iman came to lead the pray’,
He saw and threw the can:
“Oh God, none of us could drink it!
I throw away the can!”
***
One saw him removing the proof,
While the others gossiped:
“The Imam could not drink the beer,
But the question: who did?”
The harmony, trust disappeared;
No woman sweeped but hers,
None took anyone’s child to school,
Men were no more brothers.
Families whispered among them –
“These are staying astray”
“Those must be disbelievers” –
End of the old array.
***
Once – it happened somewhere-
Events of a crescent’s,
Among red and blue houses, and –
Unveiled inhabitants.
A can of beer appeared to them,
Poisoning their prayer,
Changing their pious life, into –
A poisonous nightmare.
Taken life as a divine test,
God may suprise us well;
You may be probed in a sudden,
As others been as well.
Benyamin Bensalah
16.09.2017
