Mujhay jannat nahin jaana – مجھے جنت

(A poem written on the death anniversary of Dr Najibullah)

It was nothing other than truth which brought you to the gallows

In the name of the faith, some lords of trade deceitfully

Thrust my gullible people on an erroneous path

The fire that used to seethe in your city

Has long since knocked on the door of our house!

The commander of the army made us fuel for a foreign fire

With a change in objectives, on the orders of global traders

To that fire, the commander’s heir has added such fuel

That the land of my ancestors, instead of grain now spews out blood

A shimmering ring descends from the skies to raze mud houses

Your blood has cost us dearly

What can I say? Our state is this

That even in the bazaars of our own cities, we feel fear

I don’t know when some seeker of heaven may also take me with him to heaven

I don’t wish to go to heaven

Translated by Zahra Sabri