Free Tunisia

By Mamoon Alabbasi 

Wake up to the scent of newfound liberty
Where hearts beat with hope despite fear of uncertainty
Following the dark years of masked slavery
Comes a promise, that they might finally be free
Now the exiled can finally return home sweet
As their tormentors in the dark of night flee

***
Forgive us, for we failed to see how your wounds run deep
It took one man, from the forsaken Sidi Bouzid
To light a fire, so the rest of the world could see
That today Tunisia stands at the heart of the fight for equality
That quality of life is not for the corrupt few a monopoly
From Benguerdane to Benzart, forget not Bouazizi

***
But the battle is not over, despite the miracle of ousting Ben Ali
You may steer into a nightmare instead of realising your dream
So stand united in the face of internal and external enemies
For those who insult your faith wish you no prosperity or dignity
Hajj Moussa or Moussa el Hajj' – are but clones of the old regime
And even in the face of bullets, respond only in a protest of peace

***
Exclude no one and forgive all, learn from and make history
Fall not into division, for what is at stake is not just your destiny
But the hopes of millions from oceans to seas and ... me

***
Mamoon Alabbasi, an Iraqi editor based in London, lived 13 years in Tunisia.