The fence of his 10th villa has 99 towers.
The 99 names of God are written on them.
The missing 100th tower—
His own name should be written there too.
He is one of the gods of this era.
Bahtiyar Hidayet, a poet from Azerbaijan, shares his poem
Bahtiyar Hidayet, born in 1974 in the Gazakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, graduated from university in 1995 and has been working as a history teacher since 1998. Wrote poetry since high school and has 4 poetry books published in Azerbaijan.
Postmodern photocopy
The fence of his 10th villa has 99 towers.
The 99 names of God are written on them.
The missing 100th tower—
His own name should be written there too.
He is one of the gods of this era.
Inside the villa there is a huge pool.
Every day ocean water is carried into the pool.
Because he keeps a shark there.
The missing detail is that they do not measure that water
So that we could compare it with the tears he causes to be shed every day.
That shark eats hundreds of fish every day.
His dogs eat dozens of chickens every day and drink lamb’s blood.
One detail is missing…
At this rate, he will start eating people too.
May his appetite disappear.
Amen, Amen.
Curse the devil.
Idi Amin, Idi Amin comes to mind.
His shoes are made of crocodile skin.
His belt is made of snake skin.
His jacket is made of Laika leather.
And the fur on the jacket is fox fur.
His hat is made of beaver fur.
I fear that his wallet may also be made of human skin.
I pray that it is not so.
Amen, Amen, Amen.
Curse the devil; every time I say “Amen,”
Idi Amin, Idi Amin comes to mind.
The man’s teeth are made of ivory.
But he is not a herbivore.
He is a carnivore.
One thing is missing—his teeth should have been made of lion bone.
The wines he drinks are 80–90 years old,
Older than all the long-lived people of the country.
One thing is missing—the man hates youth.
It shows itself even in this wine collection.
I pray that the man does not hate youth.
Amen, Amen.
Curse the devil.
Whenever I say Amen,
Idi Amin, Idi Amin comes to mind.
The toilet bowl in his bathroom is made of gold.
The missing detail is this:
That toilet bowl should be in the shape of a globe.
The state of the world is like that.
My friend is still a small god.
May this man not become a great God.
Amen, Amen.
Curse the devil; once again Idi Amin, Idi Amin comes to mind.
Look how much science has advanced.
People become photocopies too.
How many photocopies Idi Amin seems to have had.
I pray that this human photocopying stops.
Amen, Amen.
Curse the devil.
Once again Idi Amin, Idi Amin comes to mind.
Let me say this too:
Life spins all of us around.
It’s just that
They spin like crocodiles,
We spin like meat on a grill.
I pray that we do not remain motionless.
Amen, Amen.
Curse the devil; once again Idi Amin, Idi Amin comes to mind.
P.S.
Dear and valued readers,
Please photocopy and share this poem as well.
I pray that there will be peace and safety in the world.
Amen, Amen.
Curse the devil.
Once again Idi Amin, Idi Amin comes to mind.
__________________
Read: The Chair – Poetry from Azerbaijan
