Poetry in Dhi Qar

We really got the cultural treatment in Dhi Qar, including some poetry. It was delivered in Arabic, with a translator providing English translation. I felt like the guys at the United Nations with the little speaker hanging on my ear while listening to the translation.

Here is an example:

Destinies by Mahmud Al-Braikan

The liner is at anchor beside the dock
It rests with its decayed hulk,
Within its interior it hides
The rust of the eras.
It was by sailors left long ago,
And it sides are re-enameled,
It is decked with lamps lined
Up in the air,
And coloured paper birds.
And it reposes at the dock
A restaurant afloat,
It is here where the no-comers
Rejoice at the smell of the sea
From within the smell of the delicacies,
And they cast across the tables
Their looks at a sole life-buoy.

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