Posts in "Elkun poems in English"

Let Sayragul sing!

Aziz Isa Elkun

About the poem:
this poem is dedicated to the courageous Sayragul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh from East Turkistan. She was arrested in May 2018, after crossing into Kazakhstan illegally, and in a court hearing, she gave testimony about the re-education camps in East Turkistan (Xinjiang). She has bravely spoken to the outside world about China’s “Concentration Camps.” 

When it was written:
On 1 August 2018, after arriving at Almaty airport from London, the first good news I heard was Sayragul Sauytbay’s release from detention after the Zharkent court hearing. 

Sayragul, let the Kazakh girl sing – sing, Sayragul
Sayragul, let her sing for her country – sing, Sayragul
Sayragul, let her sing for justice – sing, Sayragul
Sayragul, never stop her song – sing, Sayragul!

You are a voice for the voiceless – sing, Sayragul
You are a freedom fighter – sing, Sayragul
You are an envoy for freedom – sing, Sayragul
You hover like an eagle – sing, Sayragul!

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Borders

Aziz Isa Elkun

Borders
How long is it 
since you became a source of conflict?
We all know well you did not exist
before Adam was born
At that time humans were kind 
and they knew how to love

So why did humans create you ?
Why are they obsessed with you now? 
There are so many wars because of you …
You know 

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Chimenqush – a flower bird

Chimenqush
Chimengul Awut, she is a well known Uyghur (female) poet and her pen name is “Chimenqush” (it means a flower bird). She worked for Kashgar Uyghur Publishers as a senior editor before she was taken away to the China’s Concentration Camps in July 2018. She’s good friend of mine, last time I have spoken with her on the phone in August 2016. Here is her shortest poem written for her son before her arrest. Poem extracted from her WeChat page. 

She wrote:

“My dear son
Please don’t cry
The whole world will cry for you!” 

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