AHMAD AL-KHATAT - POEMS

Ahmad Al-Khatat was born in Baghdad, Iraq. His work has appeared in print and online journals globally and has poems translated into several languages. He has been nominated for Best of the Net 2018. He is the author of The Bleeding Heart Poet, Love On The War’s Frontline, Gas Chamber, Wounds from Iraq, Roofs of Dreams, The Grey Revolution, and Noemi & Lips of Sweetness. He lives in Montreal, Canada.

​Depression

​My eyes are numb from crying, 
my hand hurts from writing, 
my head is slowly attaching 
my neck to the cords of death, 
-due to the sorrows, I have 
adopted by myself.

​Drop the Curtain

​Drop the
curtain, please?
The slam poetry
is finally over
The ones with
the sad faces
Will finally
pull the trigger. 

​The Limits of the Sun

​Take me to the limits of the sun
Away from the miserable nest
-of skeletons, simply because
they remind me of my thirty-five years
 
Take me back in your warm dream
Where life’s bitterness appears more
like a blooming rose in the direction
of the cemetery, in which we can smile
 
Take me to the sorrows of our home
To learn how to love without weeping
To learn how to raise you to the rainbow
And learn about each other as we are one heart
 
Take me somewhere far away so
You and I we are one route to the darkness
Nobody can get in our way, nor damage us
The ones who are in, they will win and the
 
-ones who escape will die for being lonely
If you cannot take me anywhere near you
Then allow me to sip on some of the best
-poison, since I am weak to go on my own
to the limits of the sun...
 

​Life or Death

​My spirit have
Asked me questions,
Like a musician
Playing melancholy flute

Life or death?
Wilder wounds always extend
Hope or fortune?
Burning tears and not fallen

Skeleton or flesh?
Autumn cloud raining blood
Hard or warm hearted?
Heartbroken to be heartless

Mirror or shades?
The wind of late hours
Morning or dawn?
Twilight in the dell road

Cured or luck?
The sorrow of demon
Nightingale or nightmare?
Hidden dream of the future

Vampire or empire?
Slaughter sword in the graveyard
Figurine or fame?
The dictator forgives and never forget

Ink or a notepad?
Thoughts that can be judge by God
Sickness or inspiration?
A misery blooming in a colourless rose

Whisper or tears?
Echo of a lost spirit in Baghdad
Hunter or ghost?
Enemy who hates himself mostly

Party or funeral?
Holiday with a bloody screaming
Nest or mysteries?
Burning candle celebrating my lonesome.
 

Unknown Path

​From the day
I decided to damage
Your life and break
Every beat of my heart

I walked down
The unknown path
I ran into trouble
In the wrong places

I lived a life
Of unborn mind set
Crying in holidays
Gagging in funerals

Your beauty became
The sunshine to my darkness
And I am still avoiding
Missing you on my birthday

I hated me before we met
I loved nobody but the army
That follows the leader of death
Break my legs and let me love you again.
 

On The Leaves

​On the leaves
Of autumn season,
They are colour
Of your flesh.

On the leaves
Of spring flowers,
They will breathe
Of your perfume.

On the leaves
Of the notebook,
They are lines
With your name.

On the leaves
Of life journey,
Joy and tears
Of one being.

On the leaves
Of poetry book,
Rebound and dark
Are the themes.

On the leaves
Of colorful mirror,
Reflects your smile
Against my request.

On the leaves
Of blind eyed,
Joys arises when
Dreams become hopes.
 
 

Let's Cure our Wounds
​

​Tears of pain don't hurt us anymore.
We collected heavy emotions and grief.
We learned how to talk about our feelings,
but not how to cure our wounds.
 
We constantly question the things we do.
And living has become a harder question than death.
True happiness wears mournful clothing.
True misery wears clouds and rain.
 
We sit and wait until we learn that destiny
had given us a melancholic mindset.
Our tongues are the harrowing tales of refugees,
hope lays down between the sadness of the grave
and in the letters of forgotten soldiers who never return.
 
 

Empty Like the Rain 
​

​Nothing but nicotine smoke
is running through my lungs,
my thoughts are turning into
clouds, with death in between.
 
My heart has become full
of sorrow and despair
I proceeded to inhale my last
breath, to explore six feet under.
 
I was raised with painful supports
You’re not good enough to work with us
You’re not smart enough to earn a degree
You’re not responsible enough to marry her
 
No one knows how I really feel
I feel the tears on my cheeks
I feel the blood above my cuts
As yet, I feel empty like the rain.
 

Believing in Yourself 
​

​Wake up and let the sunshine
over your misery darkness.
Wake up and let the rain heal
and wash away your deepest wounds.
 
Look at your healthy soul.
Listen to your heartbeat.
And give yourself a chance to
see what life has to offer.
 
Smile and don't let haters
tell you cannot dream.
No matter what anyone says,
remember to believe in yourself.
 
Do you know that your eyes shine as
the sun shines? every time you achieve
something, your will ambitions will increase
and uplift you.