Poets explore how the artform can unite people on different sides of conflict
A story is often told to illustrate how central poetry is to Yemeni culture: that of the visit of a famous lute player from Baghdad.
He was invited to play in Sana’a, where he performed enchanting and technically brilliant music for an hour. But when he stopped, the audience waited for the musician to start talking. Without any poetry, they thought, the entertainment could not possibly be over yet.
I have always told you:
You must be brave to say you are scared,
And scared enough to look brave.
The sun rose and pushed them one by one
Onto the ageing bus
Fresh bread, a little butter
And some cheese
That’s all it took -
Oh and some tea
A whole lot of singing
And laughter; that’s a perfect day
At the beach
