Response to "An Iraqi Evening" by Yousif al-Sa'igh

Clips from the battlefield 
on an Iraqi evening: 
a peacable home 
two boys preparing their homework 
a little girl 
absentmindedly drawing on scrap paper 
funny pictures. 
--breaking news coming shortly. 
The entire house becomes ears 
ten Iraqi eyes glued to the screen in frightened silence. 
Smells mingle: 
the smell of war 
and the smell of just baked bread. 
The mother raises her eyes to a photo on the wall 
whispering 
--May God protect you 
and begins preparing their supper 
quietly 
while in her mind 
clips of the battlefield flicker by 
carefully selected for hope.

I really enjoyed reading this poem and I chose this poem to read first, because it really caught my attention. We rarely get to read literature from the Middle East, so it was refreshing to read. I guessed what the poem might be about, since Iraq really brings to mind war and the constant violence we witness on the news, but this poem took a different twist by showing us what happens beyond the battle. It took us to someone's home to show us how a regular person's life is like during these battles. We rarely get to see beyond the battle, so I think this is very refreshing and enlightening. It shows us the capability that humans have for adaptation. These people are going about their daily lives, while a battle is going on and it is simply "an Iraqi evening". It has become the norm for them and that really shows us how dangerous war is to desensitizing us to war. I also really liked the juxtaposition of the battle and the normal life and how even though they are separate at first, they eventually mix. The scents of war and baked bread mingle, the people of the house look at the news for information, and the mother looks at a photo and prays for whomever it is. It shows us that although it might seem like the battle is out there and you are here, it isn't really separate. You can't really escape war, as it will always affect you in some way and change your life. Even if you try to gain a sense of normalcy, it won't last long, because the two worlds will collide.