E Y E W E A R, THE BLOG - FREEDOM MEANS BEING UNAFRAID TO WRITE WHAT YOU THINK

The Egyptian Standoff has become excruciating to behold, with the stubborn heel-dragging of the elite showing, not telling, what the demonstrators abhor - an utter disregard for democracy - even, more disturbing, an inability to see it when it is right there on the streets.  I fear that this will descend into terrible, before it gets to beautiful, as the Friday gatherings increase, and the army prepares to weigh in (again) with force. Note - it is now 16:33, GMT, and Mubarak has stepped down!  A thrilling moment in history.

Eyewear is pleased to feature Egyptian poet and aphorist, Yahia Lababidi 's new poem today, at a time when Egypt in (still) undergoing so much upheaval and uncertainty. He was  born 1973; his latest book, Trial by Ink: From Nietzsche to Belly Dancing is a critically-acclaimed collection of literary and cultural essays.  His first book, Signposts to Elsewhere , was selected for Books of the Year, 2008, by The Independent . What Is To Give Light What is to give light must endure burning, a man once said Another man became the matchstick that set a nation aflame But fire, and its appetite, cannot be  calculated, like freedom Injustice and desperation make men  combustible, like dry wood When words lose their meaning and an entire people their voice - so they can neither laugh nor scream- death and life begin to taste the same From Tunis, to Egypt, to Lebanon to Yemen the light from a burning man proved catching And those with nothing to lose,...