Hashim Shafig
Hashim Shafiq is an Iraqi poet from Baghdad. His poetry appears in the film Voices in Wartime.
The Killer of Iraq (Saddam Hussein)
A man walks by
Trips on his shadow
Thinking it was stone.
A lady walks by
Leans down to pick up a star
Thinking she found some money.
Poetry comes upon words
Painting them with color and
decorating them with beads.
A killer comes upon Iraq,
Thinking that he can plunge it
like a sword, wherever he pleases.
Thinking it was stone.
A lady walks by
Leans down to pick up a star
Thinking she found some money.
Poetry comes upon words
Painting them with color and
decorating them with beads.
A killer comes upon Iraq,
Thinking that he can plunge it
like a sword, wherever he pleases.
Questions for Reflection: “The Killer of Iraq (Saddam Hussein)”
- The man, the lady, poetry and a killer—what do they have in common in this poem?
- What is being said about poetry in Shafiq’s poem?
- What is truth in this poem? What is disillusionment?
- Who is the killer? What is the nature of the killer?