“I Smile At Your Chains”

By Editor on 13th June 2025 • ( 0 )

“I Smile At Your Chains”

This poem by Matloob Boukhari offers a scathing critique of imperialism and ferocity of hypocrisy. It powerfully condemns the double standards of nations that claim to champion peace, justice, and humanity while perpetuating cruelty and oppression. The poem highlights the deceitful nature and conduct of colonizers.

Matloob Boukhari is a well-known Pakistani poet of English language. He is our national pride. His poetic crown is decorated with many awards. We are good friends and mostly comment on each other’s posts. His poetry is superb and sublime. He is a literary legend. He has posted a poem on his Facebook and WhatsApp titled “I Smile at Your Chains”. This poem has inspired me as it is a slap on the face of world masters, who boast to be the champions and stalwarts of peace, justice and humanity. Intuitively, I decided to comment on it. It is just like inspiration.

In this poem, he has strongly condemned the hypocrisy, duality, duplicity and diplomacy of the imperialists. He wants the Chains of slavery of imperialism, colonialists, and fascism to be broken. He advocates liberty and justice. He is an ideological poet. He writes:

“I smile at the masks, the colonizers wear.
Painted with civility, perfumed with deceit”.

He abhors the double- faced nations which cheat others and call themselves as modern, democratic and civilized nations, while they are cruel and callous. They have double standards. They are looters and plunderers. He unveils their gruesome visage and writes:

“They call us beasts, yet their cruelty outstrips the wild,
For no animal kills with the prided ‘civilizing’.

Are we beasts who are the victims of aggression and suppression? Or theses enemies of humanity and so-called champions of human rights are beasts, who are uncouthly killing the civilians of Gaza/Palestine? The Prime Minister of Israel Netanyahu, with infinite pride is bragging to vanquish the innocent children and ladies of Gaza. America is supporting Israel and exercising the right of Veto against Palestinians right to live according to the UN resolutions.

It is the height of injustice and inhumanity. Five countries have veto power. America, England, France, China and Russia. Four are Christians and one is communist. Where are the Muslims? Fifty-seven countries are Muslim countries. As they are not united, they have no voice. Some of them are directly chained by America. How then the issues of Kashmir and Palestine can be resolved?

The governments and leaders of France, England and Germany have strongly condemned the genocide of the people of Gaza. Israel is a terrorist state. The present genocide is unprecedented and unparalleled in the near human history. It is ten times more crucial and criminal than the German Holocaust of the Jews by Adolf Hitler. War must immediately stop and the dispute between Israel and Palestine must be resolved according to UN resolutions. Israel has unleashed the reign of terror on the armless Palestinians.

The poet alludes to the cruelties of Israel which is being backed by American government. The majority of Americans is against the occupation and violence of Israel but unfortunately, the American establishment is under the control of the Zionists. Many Jews and Christians, in America have protested against Israeli occupation, genocide and aggression.

The poet in the last lines of the poem says that these imperialists want us to remain their slaves and be dependent on them. He writes:

“They do not offer wisdom.
They demand submission.
To the comfort of their thrones.
To the illusion of their superiority.”

The imperialists want us to remain their slaves and flutter like bruised birds in cages. They want us to remain chained and iron fettered. They take us inferiors and think themselves superior. The Muslim monarchs are the stooges of America. America has not enslaved them, for saving their skin and crowns, they willingly or voluntarily have accepted slavish life. Recently, the American president Donald Trump visited some Arab countries like the “King of the World”. All Arab kings behaved like slaves in his presence.

Any ruler who does not obey the American policy is bound to be dethroned, ousted from his office, exiled, jailed or hanged. The example of Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is a glaring example. He challenged the directions of America not to make Pakistan an atomic power, and was hanged by General Zia-ul-Haq. One can read about it in the book of Mr. Bhutto written in jail titled, “If I am Assassinated”.

Similarly, the popular leader of Egypt and President Mohammad Morsi was dethroned, arrested and jailed by General Abdel Fateh el-Sisi. Morsi died in jail. What a tragedy! One of another example is the downfall of Field Marshal Ayub Khan in Pakistan. Once, I visited him at his Islamabad residence. During conversation he said:

“I had written the book, ‘Friends: Not Masters’ and I had to pay the price. America turned against me and conspired to finish my government.”

Recently, we have seen the visit of the American President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. He signed the pacts of ten trillion dollars with Saudi Arabia. He got a very costly airplane as a gift from Qatar. Similarly, he received costly gifts from the rulers of United Arab Emirates.

The poet has indirectly pointed out the slavish mentality and disgraceful behaviour of the Muslim rulers to save their thrones and crowns. Donald Trump behaved like an emperor and the Arab emperors stood before him like slaves. What a downfall of Muslims!

This poem is a great protest against the exploitation of the imperialists and a clarion call to Muslims to awake from deep slumber and break the chains.

In a nutshell, this poem offers a scathing critique of imperialism and ferocity of hypocrisy. It powerfully condemns the double standards of nations that claim to champion peace, justice, and humanity while perpetuating cruelty and oppression. The poem highlights the deceitful nature and conduct of colonizers.

I congratulate Matloob Boukhari on writing such an inspiring and insightful poem. Karl Marx had rightly said that the labourers must revolt against the capitalists and break the chains as they have no other barricade but chains to break.