My Hometown
Is a town overwhelmed
With infirmity
Destruction
And construction
Weeping on the past
And full of afflictions
In its day
In its night
But we all know what happened
We all know what’s happening
And we all know the problem
We hear the same story
In the morning
In the evening
Is it written by heavens?
Or written by men and women?
Whichever
I don’t entertain any solution
Because we’re all running away
Because we’re all the culprit
Alas, is this my hometown?
Alas, is this myself?
Alas, we’re sorrowful twins
Raped and separated
When this everyday crime
Is committed under the pretext of creed
Under the pretext of names
Under the pretext of God
Under the pretext of some land
Yes, everyday crimes
Committed in the open
In the backdoors
Alas, I did not recognize the country
I left a long time ago
Everything has been blemished
In time by violence
I cannot accept what’s happening
I cannot accept what’s happened
But what should you and I do?
We all have sinned
We all have trespassed
And we all have been practicing war
Dr. Ahmad Al-Hadidi (Mosul, Iraq) holds a degree in medicine and surgery from Mosul University in Iraq and a master’s of public health from Boston University, where he was a Fulbright scholar. He has worked as a physician in native Iraq, a researcher in Uganda and Rwanda, a volunteer helping Iraqi children with war-related injuries seeking medical treatment in Boston hospitals, and a translator for films on humanitarian and peacebuilding issues. He also holds a Master’s Degree from Notre Dame in International Studies.
Last year, Achmad was able to visit his family in Mosul, Iraq after a 10 year hiatus due to the war. ‘My Hometown’ is reflective poem about the everlasting effects of war and violence on people he noticed while there. His poetry in general tackles the issues of violence and promotes an attitude toward achieving disciplined nonviolence living.
Dr. Hadidi is a close friend of the Agape Community where he has been a constant presence. He recently addressed students from Assumption College and Holy Cross College on issues of Race and Nonviolence. He recently read his poem to a group at Agape.
