To-day I suffer.

To-day I suffer for you

because you must be really suffering.

To-day all doors are shut

for mercy and compassion.

To-day a fallen angel

returning from his glory

because the dream is gone

and found to be unreal.

To-day we stop to think. . .

To-morrow we shall stretch our hands

and reach beyond the stars

and beyond the horizon.

To morrow we shall understand

what we could not in silence.

And then you know that somewhere

in the emptiness of a real universe

our eyes have met.

Alfred Grech

07-07-2019

Dan Huwa Ż-Żmien

Dan huwa ż-żmien li qatt ma xtaqtu jasal,

Dan hu l-imkien fejn xtaq li qatt ma kont.

Dan huwa dak li jnissel ħsieb il-biża,

Fil-milja tiegħu ġabni bħal miġnun.

Dan hu t-twettieq ta’ dik il-profezija,

Ewlieni l-waqt xħin kont illuminat,

Iberren f’moħħi ’mma ħsibt ki qatt mna jasal

U qatt ma ħlomt li nkun għad f’dan l-istat.

Imbagħad ftit, ftit, irtsaqna lejn ix-xifer,

U xorta waħda bqajna m’emminniex.

Ħaddieħor daq it-telf u l-morr tal-milja,

U bqajna ngħixu dak li ma konniex.

Xħin tasal hawn tixtieq li tmiss ix-xefaq,

Jew tinża’ l-ġilda bħalma jagħmlu s-sriep;

Tmur tisparixxi wara kantuniera,

Iż-żmien bħal qtar li jinżel mill-miżiep.

Alfred Grech

06.07.2019

Lanqas Tinbidel.

U le lanqas tinbidel

Imqar jekk trid il-folja taqleb

U tħares f’wiċċ kull min għaddej

Biex tara jekk tagħraf xi ħadd li tafu.

Tmur lura għal kemm il-sena

Tmur lura l-bogħod fiż-żmien

Biex tara jekk tilmaħx

Jew tirxoxtax i t-tqanqiliet

Li kienu ifissru l-ħajja

U ma tħoss xejn

Għax qalbek tal-azzar.

Dan huwa nżul ix-xemx

Miktub f’jum iebes minn ta’ lulju

Mistoħbi fl-għabex tal-blugħa

Li darba kiienet tfisser

Poeżija.

Alfred Grech

05/07/2019

Hu Dan Xi Don Min Alla?

Hu dan xi don minn Alla

Li dawn jisparpaljaw

U jaħtfu, jbiċċru, kissru

Jikkalpestaw kull m’haw’?

U din xi sejjba kbira

Li tagħmel ħafna flus

Bid-deni ta’ ħaddieħor

Fl-ambjent li mhux minsus?

U dan trid wisq biex tifhem

Li din l-Awtorita’

Minflok ma tikkontrolla

Qed tgħin fl-immunita’?

U lanqas trid tkun għaref

Iddawwar wiċek l’hemm

U qisu xejn mhu jiġri

U sirna nies bla demm.

Alfred Grech.

05/07/2019

Ejja.

Ejja npinġu, ejja ngħannu

Dawra mejt ma kullimkien,

Biex bil-għana u bil-kuluri

Nirbħu d-dwejjaq ta’ daż-żmien.

Ejja naħsbu illi għada

Għad ikun ajħar mil-lum,

U noħolqu biex inkissru

Dir-rutina ta’ kulljum.

Ejja nferrxu bi tbissima

l-aħbar tajba minnufih

u nixtiequ ferħ  u paċi

lill-kullħadd u kullimkien.

Alfred Grech

04/07/2019

Xejn Ma Jibqa’.

Inti taf li nerġa’ lura

jisgħobija minnufih

kull tifkira u kull tqanqila

ittimbrati biss fir-riħ.

Jgħaddi ż-żmien u jiġu l-ġodda

tqalleb kollox ta’ taħt fuq

Inti bħali tibda ttenni

jimxi biss li hemm fis-suq.

Fuq kull sħaba ta’ tifkira

xejn ma jibqa’ bħal ma kien

Xejn ma jifmhu u xejn ma jafu

dak li miegħu ġarr ir-riħ.

Alfred Grech

03.07.2019

And Now You Know.

It is honest and honorable

To leave this life for what it is

And to watch the amphitheatre from far away,

As from a tower.

You will not be in the crowd

Who paid the thicket

Then you will know what you might have lost

Had you not lost it.
Now you are all driven down the empty lane

By the inhibitions of customs and lifestyle

But it is a matter of time before you start

To question how and why this came about.

And when you find yourself enclosed

You will convince yourself

That after all this is what you had needed

Because you really were never free

And your mind has been depraved

As you grew up.

Now you know that underneath the surface

Of what is said and what is written

There is a pretty woman

Exchanging her body

For what she can get.

Alfred Grech.

02/07/2019

And Now You Know.

It is honest and honorable

To leave this life for what it is

And to watch the amphitheatre from far away,

As from a tower.

You will not be in the crowd

Who paid the thicket

Then you will know what you might have lost

Had you not lost it.
Now you are all driven down the empty lane

By the inhibitions of customs and lifestyle

But it is a matter of time before you start

To question how and why this came about.

And when you find yourself enclosed

You will convince yourself

That after all this is what you had needed

Because you really were never free

And your mind has been depraved

As you grew up.

Now you know that underneath the surface

Of what is said and what is written

There is a pretty woman

Exchanging her body

For what she can get.

Alfred Grech.

02/07/2019