The Brewing Night by Yussuf Kassam 

It was that moment night when I heard it,

Yes, I heard it all.

That night sleep deserted me;

So I lay awake, sleep in all my senses.

 

It was long past midnight.

Time dragged on, the clock couldnt chime / tick

The dog wouldnt bark, nor the baby cry;

It was a moonless and windless night;

The whole universe seemed to stagnate

In dark, dreary, dead slumber.

What was amiss? I knew not.

 

The dead quietness and solitude

Seemed to be eternal - but

Waves of babbling and muttering

Began to trickle through the street;

the air;

Humed footsteps echoed through the street

What was amiss? I knew not.

 

I pulled my curtain to see,

And then I saw it all

Heavy boots, thick uniforms and solid helmets

Dimly discernible under the pale street lamp

The atmosphere stood stiff and solid with

Brawny-faced and clenched - teeth determination

Thus the cauldron had boiled that sleepless night

 

The night had pulsed with passions high and wild;

The streets were stained with new portraits framed;

The wheel changed hands and new plans were filed.

The morning saw the country strangely dressed

And every one attended the rally

To hear the eloquence from a strange face,

And everyone quietly nodded and said, yes.