when times were free

Afghanistan is a tough place.  
 
The women usually dress in muslim coverings, where most of their bodies cannot be seen.  They may look like a dark ghost.      
   
Lots of wars zones, for 30 years.      
   
Plus some fanatic religious forces have made the women stay all bundled up and they are not permitted to dance or sing.    
   
Looking at those women from the outside, one would start to believe they really were some strange ghost.  
   
But low, let me tell you, they have feelings, and    
   
they express them in 22 syllable short poems.    
 
The Japanese have their HaiKu's, which many study and try,    
   
but the Pashtun women have their Landays

Landay means "Short Poisonous Snake"    
 
I cannot do them justice, by just saying they have 22 syllables.    
   
But I just will have to leave it at that, as I am ignorant of the details.    
   
I am not alone, the men, living right beside the women,  
know little themselves of their secret poetry.    
It is definitely, deep underground style poetry.    
   
Another interesting aspect of the Landay, is,    
well take an american poet.    
We all see stressed,  
NOT to copy or modify somebody elses 'work'  
if we catch somebody doing it,  
we may feel the original poet has been wronged.    
   
The funny thing about the Landay,  
it is the complete opposite of that.  
 When times were free,  
the women and men would sit around the camp fire,  
and recite a Landay.    
Then somebody would add a twist to the Landay,  
and good catchy ones would spread from village to village,  
and evolve as it traveled.    
   
Now, today, in more troubled political times in Afghanistan, with  religiuos forces suppressing them,  
most often a woman does NOT want her name tied to a Landay she invents.    
   
Now, during the US occupation of Afghanistan, a woman reporter went over there,Eliza Griswold, and with two young women translators, she went around collecting as many Landays as she could.    
   
I can definitely guess that this woman's particular way of translating the landay, she should take 'credit' for her 'work', even though it is based on something that has existed and evolved over hundreds of years, specifically because this human web of poetry is not cast in the 'copywrite' light.    
   
As an aside, We who so protect our work and do not wish to see it modified and copied, most likely our poetry will die with us, or with the demise of whatever website we are stuffing our poems on.    
   
Well allow me to stop talking, and present some Landays.  In my particular translation, the 22 original syllables and the special lilt of their words is totally lost, only some piece of the meaning may remain.    
   
NOTICE:  The personal thoughts of these women, in our society may  probably be seen as EROTIC, and the reader should be NOTIFIED to stop reading at this point, as we are entering the EXTREME territory, so all you Under 18 types who are offended at any thoughts about sex should exit now.    
   
   
Please exit now if you are going to be offended...    
   
   
   
10    
   
   
   
   
9    
   
   
   
8    
   
   
   
OK, yes, all the landay's that  I picked,  me being a Male, the Landays that  caught my eye were the erotic ones, although the women of Afghanistan have many varied and deeply felt Landays about the war going around them, about the drones over their heads, and about many political problems, and criticisms of the people who rule them.  
   
first Landay    
   
Too bad you didn't come home last nite    
I got to know the bed post.    
   
   
Another...    
   
   
Your kisses are shaking my teapot    
and making my pants all wet    
   
...    
   
   
Cant any of these men walking around    
have any clue that my thighs are on fire?    
   
   
.....    
   
   
Ouch, dont brush up against my breasts    
I became a woman last night!    
   
   
   
...Now there can be several or many landays, one after another    
that form a story...    
   
Girl: If you bite my lip, what is my mother going to say?    
   
Boy: Just tell her you fell down while carrying your water jug to the well.    
   
Girl: She will ask, "Why did the jug not break too?"    
   
Boy: Just tell her your jug fell on sand, while your mouth fell on stone.    
   
Girl: Since you know all the questions my mother will ask,    
Have at me!    
   
   
...Farting in Afghanistan is much more embarrasing as it is here, so it is a bold thing to declare it...    
   
   
Tell my lover I am calling    
If he is a farter, I fart louder!  
 
...I think it takes a lot of courage to shout to the world  
that you love somebody.... like admitting to farting???  
so much for me being a poetic analyst Ha!...  
   
   
Well, there is just a brief sample.    
   
If you google the words Afghanistan womens poetry,    
   
or Afghan Landay, you should bump into some of the Landays I did,    
   
and a good idea for a Competition on this site, would be to write a Landay, then invite competitors to modify it, or write one of their own, to experience the shared transmission of Poetry.