The Execution

Here they come
the frequent trespassers of this terrain
in their tattered truck
The heavy black boots
step down

Their helmets on
and safety glasses
their ear muffs
thick face shields
and Kevlar chaps

Forward they march
with calculated steps

There she stood –
a lone giant Lizzab tree
an old green fortress –
as the gang approached

They sized her up
they measured and marked
and then
the keen chainsaw
whirring
whining
grinding
until the mountains
quivered with dread at
the cracking
the crashing
the crunchy bone breaking
?




Nizar Sartawi's picture

ABOUT THE POET ~
Nizar Sartawi, a Jordanian poet and translator of Palestinian descent, was born in Sarta, Palestine, on February 16, 1951. He received his elementary, intermediate, and high school education in Jerusalem and Nablus schools. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Jordan in Amman. He also holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources Development from the University of Minnesota in the U.S., Sartawi began writing Arabic poetry at the age of 14. In 1980, he abandoned literary writing. However, in 2010, he returned to the world of poetry and literature. His first collection of Arabic poetry, Between Two Eras, was published in 1911. The collection combines his old and new poems., Sartawi translates poetry from English and other languages to Arabic and from Arabic to English. His translations have been published in poetry collections, literary journals, papers, and on the Internet. His translated works include:, - The Prayers Of The Nightingale (2013), Selected Poems by Indian poet Sarojini Naidu., - The Fragments of The Moon (2013), Selected poems by Italian poet Mario Rigli ., - Contemporary Jordanian Poets, Volume I (2013)., - The Eyes Of The Wind (2014), Selected Poems by Tunisian poet Fadhila Messai., - The Soul Dances In Its Cradle (2015), Selected Poems by Danish poet Niels Hav., Sartawi is currently working on a major translation project, Arab Contemporary Poets Series., Sartawi lives with his family in Amman, Jordan. He has one son, three daughters, and six grandchildren.


Last updated November 23, 2016