1.  Clause 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Tell-tale undulating breeze
on this, a summer’s sleepy night;
children dream of play, of dirt and mud
while we whisper tired love
and watch the dance of trees

Here we are, an acre lost at sea
A drop unseen, a tenuous domain afloat
upon the ash-brown grain,
in this, our comfort sanctity.

Outside, the fields of aching maize
do dance and yearn to yield their fruit,
dogs bark and echo back
so comfort, so low, so quiet
in this our timely, private suit

They came at three.
Two full hours
before the time
to tend the field,
to relieve the goat
to pilfer from
the one productive bird
that had inauspiciously arrived,
a gift from aging friends
whose fields I tilled
as local beast of untold burden,
an ant upon their row.
Still, I’d been happy
with the touch
of land on sole,
of greenery in spring,
and fruit in Fall.
They were gone by four
my children too, my maize, my home.
Like a storm
they came
intent on death,
happy to loose the blood of babes
like trinkets in a card game,
like multi-colored chips forlorn,
trifles in an unimportant round
of a routine betting game -
“ah well,” they knew,
“there’s always
another hand.”

© David Aden

As you may know, I am a (lazy) member of Poets for Human Rights, and I would like to share with you the poems of the winning poet and those who got an honorable mention (including myself) over the next week or so. Below is a section of the newsletter announcing the results.

~~~~~~ 

Dear Poets,This issue of the MAP featured poetry supplement is devoted to the winners and honorable mentions in the Poets for Human Rights’ 2009 Anita McAndrews Award and 2009 Alexander Popoff Youth Award poetry contests.2009 Anita McAndrews Award Poetry Contest – judged by Sheema Kalbasi.1st Prize awarded to Sarah Zale of Port Townsend, Washington.  Her winning poem:

The Refugee at Al-Arroub Fails to Explain

A cat, Ahmad says, is content
to forget about birds, to sit near the fire,
to brush your leg, warm your lap.
But store it in a box with no food, no
water, no room to roam, when you raise
the lid, it will scratch you. Never again will it grace
your lap nor give arch and lean
to your presence.  With a sigh, you decide
such a cat cares little for others.  How vacant,
you say, how unpracticed in reason.

1. Clause 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person by David Aden of Springfield , Virginia
2. Clause 7 by David Aden
3. Clause 9 by David Aden
4. Peas on a Freight Train by Ruth Hill of Chetwynds , BC , Canada
5. When Children Cease to Be by Fadwa Al Qasem of Dubai , UAE
6. You Can Win by L. D. Sledge

Thus Began the Story of Love By poet Sultan Rwad - 2001This story received the best short story award 

Once upon a time, before mankind came to existence on this earth, all the virtues and all the vices wandered around the world together, but they were extremely bored.   

One day, as a solution to their severe boredom, creativity suggested they play a game. He called this game “Hide and Seek.“ Everyone loved the idea and they all shouted: “I want to be first.. I want to be first..”
Madness interrupted: “I will be the one to close his eyes. All of you have to run and hide.” He put his head on his folded arms as leaned against a tree and started counting. “One. Two. Three…” 

All the virtues and all the vices scattered to hide. Tenderness found itself a place over the moon.Treachery hid in a heap of garbage. Passion flew to the clouds.
Yearning delved into the centre of the earth.Deceit said loudly: “I will hide under this rock,” and then dove to the bottom of the lake.

As Madness continued to count: “Seventy nine. Eighty. Eighty one..” all the virtues and all the vices managed to hide themselves, all except Love. As usual, Love never could make up his mind. He could not decide where to hide. This came as no surprise to anyone because everyone knows how hard it is to hide Love. 

Madness continued: “Ninety five. Ninety six. Ninety seven ..” and when he shouted “One hundred,” Love leaped into a rose bush and hid inside.  

Madness opened his eyes to search for them all as he shouted: “Ready or not, here I come.” 

Lethargy was the first to be found because he could not be bothered to hide himself well. Then Tenderness appeared; then Deceit who emerged breathless from the bottom of the lake. Then Madness motioned for Yearning to come back from the depths of the earth.  

One by one, Madness found them all, all except Love. As Madness became frustrated and despaired at finding Love, Envy inched his way close to Madness and whispered in his ear: “Love is hiding in the rose bush”. 

Madness picked up a thorn, thick as a spear, and started stabbing haphazardly at the rose bush. He did not stop until he heard the sound of weeping that tore hearts apart. 

Love come out of the rose bush, his hands covering his eyes as blood streamed between his fingers.  

Madness cried woefully: “Dear God, what have I done? I have caused you to lose your sight.” 

Love replied: “You will never be able to give me back my sight, but there is something you can do for me; you can be my guide.”  

And that is how it has been ever since; Love stumbling blindly led by Madness.  

Translated by Fadwa

“Who’s there?” Nothing. “Who’s there?” I freeze; 10 steps to door out, 10 steps to her bedroom. I must decide. “Oh it’s you”, mother howls.

Too late.

Fadwa

For you

I hovered between the long and the short

In hair, in dress and in talk
I revealed feminine curves,

Concealed feminine curves,

And then I bound them all up ..

For you I sealed windows

I shattered glass  
I tread with bloodied feet on a million fragments

I thought were me  
I searched for old holes

And new cracks

From which might leak the glow of a woman

And I sealed them all..

For you  You turned me into an executioner

Watching,

Stifling,

Breaking,

Forbidding my own opinions, ideas, yearnings, wildness

I even silenced my silence..

For you  I inhaled the stench of rotten cocoons decaying within cocoons within cocoons
Behind prohibited, barbed, electric wires
Until I no longer desired to take a breath  
Until I lay, waiting for my end…

For you  You sealed my existence with a ring of gold

And you left me burning under a torrent of regrets

Tears pouring from my eyelashes, my hair, my nails,

As I suffered one metamorphosis after another after another,
Until I forgot my own face that lies behind the mirror of yours  My dear husband
My lover of days gone by; are you asking me now!?
Are you asking me?

After years of yearning,

After I used to be your butterfly?

Do you dare ask me now who I am?

Fadwa