20150216

ZOHAR NAJA VOS

Zohar Naja Vos  recita dos poemas, en inglés,  durante el 1 RECITAL POéTICO SOLIDARIO INTERNACIONAL.
Zohar is a Lebanese expat since many years; She studied in France then at the Lebanese American university in Beirut. Thereafter, Zohar worked as a Regional Marketing and copywriting manager in Dubai for three years.
Her journey as writer and poet debuted after settling in the Netherlands three years ago. She is currently a student at The Writers Bureau, and The Writers Studio Amsterdam. 
Writing poetry is a passion, and even a calling that Zohar suppressed for years for lack of time, support and opportunities. 
But not anymore, Zohar embraced the privilege of being a stay at home mom caring for her daughter, to write. Diving in the adventure of her life, and the long due journey she was longing to embark in for years, she ended up happier for writing adds every day such a special meaning to her life.
She has now, a total of fifty poems, in two collections; "Straight from the heart" and "Shadows of struggle". She is also writing her first, based on a true story, novel, as well as, penning monthly articles for the website and Facebook page of a local community of seven thousand members; " The Amsterdam Mamas". Her website; www.athousandandonestories.com is currently under construction, and therefore, Zohar created, "Thousands and One Stories by Zohar"; www.facebook.com/Zoharauthor.
A Facebook page meant to be a free platform for to share what comes straight from her heart with the world, as well as other poets' astonishing pieces, and literary articles.
Zohar writes for she believes that if her words can make one person only feel better, or not feel alone, or that someone knows what he/ she is feeling, enduring and going through, then her mission in life other than being a mother, is accomplished.
Her raw bold poetry tackles heartfelt and controversial topics as demonstrated by both poems she recited at the International Benefit Poem Recitation event, "Have you known" and "Spiked Drink", from the "Shadows of struggle" collection.
"Have you known" describes to those in the world who never knew wars what it is to be a child living in a war zone amid exploding bombs, and hiding in shelters. It shares the vivid horrible memories of the ravaging war of twenty five years, that her, her country, Lebanon and its people suffered from, and what are its somber repercussions.
Moreover, even more open, bold and direct than her poetry, Zohar openly says that she wrote "Spiked Drink" inspired by a terrible incident she witnessed in her early twenties in France, but from which, fortunately, she survived and rose eventually. She considers this poem a closure and a healing tool that finally, and hopefully for ever, enabled her to really shut the doors of her life in the face of the hellish incident's haunting memories she had to live with for years." SIN VéRTEBRAS. CíRCULO D.M.

Have you known?
They say if you're negative you attract
negativity.
Whereas, some people never met or acquainted well with positivity,
so how these creatures are supposed to behave in a way they don't know?!
How do we expect them to think and plan while drowning in the sewage of the somberness that won't let them go?!
Have you ever been in a war?
Have you seen people's flesh spattered with crashed glass and fire and blood dripping of the wall?
No, not you, who hid in shelters
and dark bathrooms, hearing bombs blasting in spitting distance.
Only few meters further.
A rocket destroyed the balcony, the living room, but thank God, it did not bang any closer!
In the bathroom on cold floor,
my two younger sisters and I, aged six five and four, were hiding under mama's night dress,
holding our breath.
In agony waiting for the fire storm to at least regress.
We felt hopeless dreading the imminent,
yet prayed again and again; Dear Lord, please have mercy on us.
Please bring our papa safe back home.
Unlike our neighbor, Hana's dad, who, only
God knows where he was coming from,
Why and how he ended up on that specific road of doom at that exact cursed minute,
bombed car exploded Boom Boom Boom…
He and over fifty fathers, mothers, children and elders blew up with it.
Old or young,
weak or strong,
there are No exceptions for a terrorist.
Anybody, everybody, even nobody are nothing
but targets.
Every time on the streets more corpses more
flames,
dark smoke, a flare of a  stinky smell, so strong.
Sickening,
the smell of death in the air,
impossible to bear.
So how these creatures are supposed to
behave in a way they don't know?!
How do we expect them to think and plan when drowning in the sewage of the somberness that won't let them go?!
Have you ever known a war?
Sister? Bro?
No, I thought so,
And trust me on this; you are damn lucky not to know.




A spiked drink

What’s worse than being raped?! Nothing, but being raped, after being deprived from every ability to fight, to refuse, or even be able to turn and look away from your rapist's face,
and not smell his breath, and not see how he’s having his way, enjoying himself, in a trance getting high and ecstatic on being a sadist.
While you're totally paralyzed having no voice, and just lying there unable to shut out his moaning, though you're trying so hard, but unfortunately, I guess
Your drink last night got spiked.
Yes, I'm sorry to say, you got doped up,
and how will you ever forgive yourself  for being so stupid, naïve, such an idiot, to trust "some nice cool" guys you only just met.
And followed so blindly, fell into their trap from which, is it ever possible to rise?
How the hell could you trust them, join them at their so-called after party, allow yourself to be lead?!
Like a lamb - to where you now lie all trussed up, your wrists and ankles chained
Stretched out sacrifice on a hard wooden floor.
Memory forever stained in your own blood
And a stranger's body fluids, a haunting trauma that will hunt you to your grave.
What did you do to deserve this? Your whole life lay ahead, “such a bright young girl” they said, “such a good future so many dreams!”
How unfortunate life must seem now.
I pray for justice even if it takes decades,
I pray your predators are punished though they've long since fled,

but, most of all I pray for you; to beat the demons of your past, to break free from the shadows of your struggle, to see a ray of sunshine one day through the fog of shame and fear.