To Rida Al Ghasra: A Letter from the Sea

2017-02-16 - 6:45 p

Bahrain Mirror: Dear Rida, you add a new meaning to Bahrain. Before you, many migrated, and each migrator broke parts of the invaders' power, defied their tales, and broke one of their machines of destruction. You become victorious with your dignity, and sought salvation at sea. You did not head towards the sea to save yourself, but rather save the dignity of your people.

This sea has long been a destination for salvation, freedom, and liberty from humiliation and oppression, a 230-year-long act that has never stopped; it goes on every time the invaders felt that there is another voice that needs to be silenced. You must have kept inside you as a treasure, this long history, to then let it out in the most beautiful form, your heroism, and in the most beautiful place, at sea. The meaning became more prolific. They are as two seas; the sea of your ancestors and the stories of their travels, and the sea of their grandchildren and stories of their heroism. The salty sea of courage, and the sweet sea of martyrdom.

Those who killed you did not know the meaning dear Rida; had they known, they wouldn't have mixed your blood with your sea. They did not know that meaning because they are not the sons of this sea. Dear Rida, how the sea suits you, and how Bahrain today suits you!

You are the son of two "salts" [of Bahrain], the salt of its sea, and the salt of its soil; the tanned salt of your skin, and the blue salt that welcomed your first drops of blood, in an open path to the blue heavens, as if they are speaking your mother's mind: Take Rida [O Heavens] so that you are satisfied.

They fail to realize that your story would have ended if you had went beyond the sea, and that your story's glowing persistence lies at sea. They gave you a start from where they sought your end. You are the first martyr of the sea, your blood is like drops of rain entering the mystery of sea where shells lie and rise to pearls. Your martyrdom will become the horizon of the extended sea. Whenever we look into the blue sea, we see you in it; we see your mysterious smile staring at us from afar. We still see your bravery inducing in us the sea of courage, so we'd link it to the sea of adventure and challenge for dignity. This sea will not remain at rest.

You made up your mind and went forward. You told yourself: I will surf this sea, either towards freedom or martyrdom. You closed before them all possibilities, and you lured them into the sea; where you wanted your place of martyrdom to be. They filmed the scene of your martyrdom and did not realize its true meaning, and as you blinded them the moment you broke out of Jaw Prison, you blinded them the moment you were killed. I could see you laughing in the middle of the sea, just as you laughed behind bars in Jaw Prison.

Your grave shall not be where your body was buried, on land. Your grave shall be where your first drops of blood fell, at the sea.

Arabic Version    


Comments

comments powered by Disqus