To Iraq

At this decisive point
of a climacteric epoch
when from above the stars
God beamed with infinite relish
festively at his dateless feat
an ill wind blew across your open face, Iraq,
from the desert of the West,
and kept you brooding in a wilderness
exposed to too much light,
no scrap of cloth
to veil your nakedness.

- Kodi Azuonye

Copyright: Kodi Azuonye 2004