Poems of Mitwalli Basal (Egypt)

Metwally Bassal

• Born in 1971,
Poet, storyteller, and novelist,
• His published works in poetry, short stories, and novels include:
 Novels
• Sha'ban in the Lost (published by Amarji Printing and Publishing House, Iraq, August 2023)
• The Old Man
 Short Story Collections:
• The Rooster with the White Comb (published by Al-Wahibi Printing, Publishing, and Distribution House, 2021)
• Love in Extra Time (published by Nile and Euphrates Foundation for Printing, Publishing, and Distribution, 2021)
• The Earthquake of Doomsday (published by Amarji Al-Iraqia, 2024)
 Classical Arabic Poetry Collections:
• Sailors Without a Harbor (published by Al-Wahibi Printing, Publishing, and Distribution House, 2021)
• Before the Session is Adjourned (published by Dar Al-Wahibi Printing, Publishing and Distribution, 2022
• Who Shouts in the Square, published by Amargi Printing and Publishing
 A collection of colloquial poetry:
• I Wish I Could See the Nile Laughing, published by Metabook Printing, Publishing and Distribution, 2021
• Egyptian Songs, published by Amargi Printing and Publishing
• In the field of autobiography, Amargi Printing and Publishing published his autobiography as part of the series "Shining Names in the City's Sky," the third volume in this series. The first edition was published in 2023.
Unprinted works:
 Novels:
• The Spring That Never Comes
• A Call After Midnight
 Short Story Collections:
• A Horse's Tragedy
• The Man Who Stole a Bear (a collection of very short stories)
A collection of classical Arabic poetry:
• A Date with Hope
 A collection of colloquial poetry:
• Why, My Country?
• Life is a Moment of Love • Ramadan Diaries
• He has published numerous poems and stories in print and online magazines and newspapers.
• He has won several short story, flash fiction, and poetry competitions.
• He was selected as a member of many short story competition judging panels and poetry judging panels.



Colonized
Written by: Mitwali Basal
Egypt

Colonized
We are all colonized!
Enslaved
We are all enslaved!
Colonizers
Even if we think we are
free in our homelands
But we are
colonized
The(facebook)) rules us
And whoever rules by the (facebook)'s rule
Does not fear the vicissitudes of fate
We are the lost and confused
In that great prison
Besieged
And controlled
Like a herd
And those who have an opinion
that contradicts what the (facebook) wants
Their fate is
Banned like the darkness of prisons
We have banned you
We have banned you
And we are over you, powerful
Enslaved to masters
We do not know them
Not even the sighted adults
We are all afflicted
Blindness
And they take hold of our blind hands
We are the puppets
With their strings and palms
We are attached
We are the shadows
And they play with us
Our children
Our sons
Our loved ones
If they were given a choice between us
And this (facebook)
They would not hesitate
Do you think they They will think.
Believe me, they won't hesitate.
Facebook raised them and us.
And we are walking in its path.
We are the ones who have accepted.
And when it said, "We agree," everyone replied, "We agree."
Facebook has become a father and mother to everyone.
You see the phones?
In hands and pockets
In homes and streets
Farms and factories
Mosques and churches
Temples and prisons
On every corner, ears
On every side, eyes.
Be quiet, for we are being watched.
Even when we are in our beds
And in our private moments, we are being watched.
Think carefully
Before you even think
Before you write arrogant words.
Know full well that
Nothing will happen
Except what Facebook truly wanted it to be.
If you want to survive
And live here
Repeat and imitate
What the ignorant rabble is doing.
Follow on Facebook the scandals, the shamelessness, and the debauchery
And swim like all swimmers
Into the labyrinths of madness.
Try hard to be humiliated
To sell out
And to get lost
And Betrayal
Never think about who you are,
because then you will see
and know the grip of Facebook that controls
and brutalizes those who oppose it



Don't break
Written by: Mitwali Basal
Egypt

Don't break!
Don't despair!
Even if everything on earth around you shakes and breaks,
Wash your heart of all your worries,
Cast aside the piles of sadness,
Be patient and persevere!
You are the one called the Caliph,
So be worthy of it.
And live with confidence that you have come according to destiny.
Do not let any charlatan deceive you.
For you live in...
A time without time,
In a homeland without a homeland,
And among people without people.
You live today in...
Something without frameworks!
And if you fail and destiny is not on your side,
Don't break!
For the sun's light is sometimes eclipsed,
And the moon is eclipsed!
And if you fall, do not weaken!
(Don't break!)
Don't be defeated!
How many a fall has followed it?
The son of Adam rose and triumphed.
You will die one day, so seek joy for yourself.
With it, you will forget the pain of a dying heart.
Tomorrow, you will be far from your homeland and its inhabitants.
So fill your eyes with your homeland and never tire of looking!
Never choose to be a victim.
Never be satisfied...
For you will not receive justice from people!
Ask the perpetrators today about their conditions.
You will then know that there is no consolation here for any innocent!
And you will then realize that your defeat was not a loss for others
Rather, you alone lost!
I saw with my own eyes the victim being accused.
And I saw them cling to the one who betrayed!
Everyone betrayed, and you alone did not betray.
So, you became an accused person, haunted by danger!
And you stuck to the door of truth, seeking salvation through it.
But they called you a liar, a liar! (Don't break!)
Don't be defeated!
Even if your conscience dies
And all your features and images change
And people's hearts harden until they become
Harder to you than iron or stone
Don't break!
Don't endure humiliation, for humiliation's wounds never heal
And its traces can never be erased!
Don't complain about an injustice whose seeds you once saw and didn't care, only for the rain to grow!
Who has ever been enriched by stinginess or greed?
Who has become poor through giving and generosity?!
Who has been destroyed by his courage?
Who has been saved by greed or caution?!
Don't break!
Don't be defeated!