POEMS FOR PUBLICATION IN IWABOGDANI-5TH.
SITI RUQAIYAH HASHIM (ROKIAH HASHIM).
Siti Ruqaiyah Hashim (real name Rokiah Hashim) from Malaysia is a poet, prolific film critic, and translator. Started writing in 1987 in literature magazines and newspapers. She published a film critic book( 2015), a bi-lingual poetry book titled Catharsis/Katarsis (2015) and Spanish in 2016. Her bi-lingual anthology together with 12 others titled News From Strasbourg was published in 2017, her second bi-lingual World Peace Poem anthology titled Peace Be Upon You Davos was published in 2019 in Zagreb. Her collection of poems were translated and published in Albanian by Ditet E Naimit 2019 titled Rerat E Sri Lavender. She published translations of Shaip Emerllahu’spoems In Bahasa Melayu and English titled EpalTetovo/Apples of Tetovo in 2019 . Her works also appeared in numerous international anthologies. Her poems were translated into 16 languages. She attended poem festivals all over the world. She is an associate author with International magazines Diogen Pro Culture (USA), Poetrybay(USA),Greenwatch Bangladesh, Campus 247.Wordpress (Ghana), IWABOGDANI (Brussels) Atunis Galaktike Poetry (Belgium)etc. Her poem won Best Poem in 2019 and she received award by IWABOGDANI (Brussels) and Yalta 10thChekov Festival (Crimea) in 2019. International Forum of Creativity and Humanity (IFCH) Morocco awarded her Excellence in Recognition of Humanitarian and Cultural Fields and she was awarded Ideal Arab Leadership Woman. She was also appointed Ambassador of Humanity from Malaysia by IFCH.
AT TIME LIKE THIS
At time like this I want to hold your hands hug you tightly and cry on your shoulder as loud as possible and let you cry on my shoulder as much as you want because the wave of pain not decreasing at all in fact they are more humiliations after humiliations thrown at us and we could only watch as words are useless
Palestine oh Palestine! Since young I heard stories of your pain and we grew up approaching sunset with your tears and blood
My man times and times again I had said your pain is my pain at times like this my restlessness are united with yours and we the defeated ones inseparable and remained together the way you want it.
Sarajevo Spring 2019
YOU ARE THE BEGINNING, THE MIDDLE AND THE CONCLUSION
My man I am sorry if I am still impatient with myself
Actually just like what you said you are me and I am you
You said peace be upon you and declared ‘You are the beginning, the middle and the conclusions’ and I accepted your greetings and your declarations.
Yes, we are the imprisoned by grief and I am still scratching and will always be scratching until the two of us released from their prison inhaling the air of freedom in my new country.
Pristina Winter 2020
PAGES OF LOVE
I let you stand there for years I ignored you a lot While I observed Each steps you made Each words spilled In your love poems Together with your pain and anguish And at certain point I realized that you were being true Although you are not supposed to be there
Then slowly I opened the door for you without any judgements Regardless of your colours And accept you for what you are
My man, Is jelousy Still riddling your heart and mind?
THIS DIFFICULT TIMES
In this difficult times we heard stories bodies could not be buried in hometowns but taken to uninhibated deserts children could not sit down to hold hands of parents still warm died few minutes ago could not bade farewell and will live with nightmares whole lifetime.
In this difficult times grandmas and grandpas died in their bed in old folks homes bodies kept in tennis stadiums by the roadsides in municipal halls in countries always talking about progress cleanliness health and happiness index .
In this difficult times television stations relayed stories hospitals not admitting seniors and taking only younger patients and an old lady of 90 refused ventilator and gave it to a younger patient because she had lived long enough she said.
In this difficult times many doctors and hospital staffs were infected by the virus and I sent messages to all my friends all over the world to look after themselves and never forget to say prayers before going to sleep.
In this difficult times I And Edin could still have a laugh because he said in his country the death rate was low because he said they are not rich and his people doesn’t fly here and there.
Ah! Actually its not so bad not being rich.
Then I told him In my homeland its also like that because old parents live with their children and always being taken care off when they have a slight fever and cough and our death rate is not thousands like in countries where they talked about high happiness index.
Kings, presidents and prime ministers who are gods all these while are also infected
Ah! this is not for those 99% only!
This unseen virus wants to remind us to be human I think. Few days ago Antonio Gutterres send his email to me to keep writing about peace, no war and don’t ignore this virus threat to the refugees camps.
Yes Sir!
Ms Christian Laggard, found already answers to solve problems of seniors who lived long because the health index of countries with high happiness level is very high?
Divine intervention I think!
Berlin – Winter 2020.