Who is Mr. Martins?
Or: An English Professor from Wales

You do not know who Mr. Martins is;
But you will; as this is not a quiz.
“When your homeland is occupied
Your first human right is to fight; so, fight!”
Those words are his’
Ringing inside and outside the class;

Mr. Martins is a real English professor,
Teaching us English Literature,
But he comments on any world event
Explaining what he exactly meant
His red beard and blue eyes do not colour his pure voice;
When he talks with us on universal grass.

In Arabic, “literature” has many connotations:
Politeness, good manners and moral interpretations,
In addition to literary writings
And “English” to us means many things:
Lord Balfour’s Declaration and Lord Byron,
Battles and British mandate and romance!

“When your homeland is occupied
Your first human right is to fight; so, fight!”
It doesn’t matter who the invaders are:
Moguls, Romans, Yankees
British, French, Zionists or Nazis
The quoted words are his’
And others are echoes of his free stance

When I want to make both words look right
“English” and “Literature” shall read under a new light:
Mr. Martins,
Mr. Martins,
The English professor from Wales,
That you now recognize at a glance
_______________________
Majeed Al-Barghouthi
http://majeedbarghouthi.net/Majeedweb/default.htm