If only you knew how long
It would take
To make that change

If only…
You were different
Not so indifferent
Cared more
Less careless

You
Criticize, minimize
Cut down to size
You
Build obstacles in your mind

Stale thoughts
Tired tries

Walking tall, broken inside
Swaying to both sides
Unanchored

Undefied
Flowing on hours
Seconds, passing time
Missing past times

If only
You can turn over
A new leaf lies near

If only
You could grasp it

But you only
Let it glide by

Pondering its beauty
Amused at its closeness

Not knowing
Who it was meant for

You

If only you knew

*Amira Salah-Ahmed

Justice is not blind
It sees who’s been wronged
It knows who committed the crime

It’s you who ties the blindfold
You who puts justice on hold
Cannot reconcile the past with tomorrow
You choose not to see

But justice, it is clear
Burdened by your complicity
Its shrewd vision sharply skewed

And if we know justice
Can we not bring it to the fore?
Must we wait for it to be served?

Served by you it comes in drivels
Hardly enough to quench the thirst for truth
Drips of water for hungry souls
Instead of a flood to feed the bereaved

In your grip, justice is shackled
Chained to convenient lies
Hidden behind a veil of caged animals and murderers
Aging dictators and their loyal traitors

A smokescreen of comfort for the masses
While martyr’s mothers burn in restless nights
Not knowing which to fight – grief or negligence

Oh Lady Justice
Elusive, demure
Will not make the first move
Will not make it easy on you
Despite polite platitudes
And grandiose overtures

It sits, silently screaming
Watching you miss the point
Over and over and over

Waiting
Till you’re through bearing brutality
You
Afraid to speak
Numb to the voices of the weak

Justice – just is waiting
For you to want it enough
For passion to move you, to move

For anger to boil over the brim
Spill lava-like and melt your hardened conscience
To rouse you conscious
Keep you awake at night

Like the memory of a lost love
Close, but never near enough
Always out of grasp
Like the happiness of innocence
Gone brittle with time

Justice enjoys the chase
The thrill of the race for integrity
Once in your clutches like concrete
It crumbles to pieces
Slithers away to an urgent destination

Puts you on her road again
An eternal search
With no rescue in sight

No matter how right your case may be
Another injustice sits around the corner
Waiting for its soldiers
Cuz this world
Just is never
Just enough

*Amira Salah-Ahmed

Since we were informed of the owning company’s termination (Egyptian Media Services, which published Daily News Egypt), we were told that we have no financial rights pending, even though this is in violation of the Labor Law. We were informed, however, that we will be paid our full salaries for the month of April. This was noted in the termination letter we were handed on April 22, 2012, in which we were also informed that it would be our last working day. On that day we took our belongings from the office and handed in anything we had,such as a video camera, etc. The next day the locks on the office door were changed.

We left the office and decided to pursue legal action since the company’s liquidator told us we had no rights to severance packages for years of service ranging from two to seven, and this can only be resolved with a court order, thus encouraging us to file a complaint at the labor office for our financial rights. We did so, preceded by a complaint at the Dokki police station on April 24 and have been talking to a lawyer to pursue next steps.

We waited till the beginning of May to obtain our salaries. When we found out that the salaries were ready at the office, we went there to pick them up only to be informed that the editorial staff will not be paid. Other departments in the company got paid.

The owners allege that we have passwords that we have not handed in. This is untrue as everything we had access to was left at the office when we were told it was our last day, including passwords to the wire services which are even written on a whiteboard in the news room. They have full access to all usernames and passwords from our work PCs.

We are not holding any passwords hostage. We want to take this chance to inform our readers and followers that the original DNE staff is no longer affiliated with this brand. We are however, sticking together and forming a new venture.

Please follow us on @OriginalDNE and stay tuned. Your support is highly appreciated.

*UPDATE: The editorial staff was suddenly contacted on Thursday (2 days after we filed the police report) and told that our April salaries are ready at the office. Apparently, those who claimed we were withholding passwords or anything related to DNE realized that they have had access to everything they needed all along. And we were, in fact, not withholding anything, passwords or otherwise, related to the company or the newspaper. This is what we had been saying all along, but it seems the police report we filed made them realize the gravity of the situation, of denying us our final salary, and so they took the baby steps required to find all the information they needed on the system, right where we left it.

We all picked up our April salaries on Sunday May 13, and signed a paper stating so as well as stating that we will drop the police report filed the previous Tuesday (when we were first denied our salaries). However, our complaint at the Labor Office — in which we are demanding our financial rights after several years of service to the company — still stands and will move forward according to legal procedures. Thank you for your support.

Careful as you tread
Uneven mental landscapes
Laced with mines
Buried in the past
Blast

Resurrected images rise
When least expected
Startling quiet corners
Havens creeping with shadows
Haunted

Buried years ago
Not enough dust here
To keep them down
Seeping like smoke
Upwards

Masked memories
Parading as dreams
Lurking inside your eyes
The future is there
Hidden

*Amira Salah-Ahmed

But DNE has always been so much more than a newspaper, more than a job and more than an office. It became a supportive learning environment, a space where creativity and talent were nurtured, and a comfortable home where co-workers became family. I don’t want to talk about the paper because readers know the content we produced, and I think it was easy to see we poured our hearts and minds into it.

What was rare about DNE is the spirit. That combination of dedication, passion, kindness, professionalism, creativity, fun and understanding. To anyone who’s come and gone, from reporters to freelancers to interns and even visitors, the DNE spirit was palpable and infectious. I was blessed to work with this group of people, and they are the reason why I learned to love what I do, and the reason I stayed at DNE for so many years. It’s the reason DNE had the voice it had and the reason it resonated with so many people. I knew I was lucky to be with this team, and I was always afraid that it was too good to last.

Unfortunately, it has come to an end, and suffice it to say, today was one of the toughest days I’ve ever experienced. We meant to leave the office at 3 and kept lingering until 7, because we couldn’t get ourselves to walk out of the office one last time. We’re all truly grieving the loss of the paper, but more than that, the loss of our team. Not being able to work together anymore, this is the toughest part. I’d do anything for these people, with these people, and the memories I have are too many and too fond to begin to explain. My heart is breaking and the only thing keeping me sane is the continued support of the DNE editorial team. My second family. I love you.

*Below is a copy of our letter to readers, which we posted online mid-day Sunday, after we were officially informed that it was to be our last day at the office. Unfortunately, the website has been switched off (I hope temporarily) by the powers that be, so this is a copy for safekeeping.

Daily News Egypt: Final words

April 22, 2012, 2:46 pm

Last Thursday the editorial staff of Daily News Egypt was informed, quite abruptly, that our last issue was going to be the one which was published Saturday-Sunday, April 20-21, 2012.

After seven years of providing hard breaking news and analysis on Egypt, and being the only independent English-language printed daily in the country, we regret to inform our loyal readers that, as far as the current editorial staff was informed, the paper will no longer be published.

As for the website, a valuable archive of the past seven years of Egypt’s history — in politics, business, society, arts, culture and lifestyle; in text, images and videos which the dedicated editorial staff has developed and maintained, we are unfortunately not certain of its fate.

We have specifically and repeatedly requested from the management of the owning company, Egyptian Media Services, to keep the website alive, even if it means that we, the current editors and reporters, have to finance it ourselves. Both ethically and morally, we believe we should be given priority on its ownership.

The team at Daily News Egypt has put their hearts into the paper, working effortlessly and tirelessly together to produce objective, reliable, timely content, always in an amazing work atmosphere of professionalism combined with a friendly and supportive spirit.

Knowing that this is rare to find, the editorial staff of the paper has stuck it out through numerous trials and tribulations. From scarce resources to budget cuts to obstacles that we’ve overcome together, to uncertain days and nights at the office covering the revolution, never at the expense of the content we provide to readers.

We’ve grown, in a very organic manner, from merely producing a newspaper to also putting out a website with excellent multimedia content as well as developing a strong social media presence and following, all with the same limited staff.

And the staff members we sadly lost along the way have found greener pastures in the most prestigious news organizations like Al Jazeera, Reuters, CNN and Bloomberg, which ultimately makes us all very proud.

It would be an understatement to say that the editorial team is attached to DNE and to each other; we think of ourselves as a family more than merely colleagues, including those who have come and gone, and especially including our loyal freelancers, contributors and interns.

It’s our deep regret to have to disband for the time being and not be able to produce the paper anymore. But we’d like to thank you, our loyal readers, for your support and consistently positive feedback over the years.

Rania Al Malky, Chief Editor
Sarah El Sirgany, Deputy Editor
Amira Salah-Ahmed, Business Editor
Dalia Rabie, Features Editor
Joseph Fahim, Culture Editor
Heba Elkayal, Lifestyle Editor
Safaa Abdoun, Features Writer / Reporter
Heba Fahmy, News Reporter
Heba Hesham, News Reporter
Mai Shams El Din, News Reporter / Editorial Assistant
Reem Abdellatif, Business Reporter
Farah Saafan, Video Journalist
Abdel Azim Saafan, Graphic Designer
Osama Taher, Graphic Designer
Hassan Ibrahim, Photographer

I see you every day
Walking down the street
I’d rather smile at you and say hello
But you inspire instant mistrust

I avert my eyes
Look everywhere but straight at you
It’s a weakness I confess

I’d rather walk with my head held high
Instead of looking at the pavement
It’s become so familiar

I cower to your looming threat
Yes, I am a coward at times
Though I’m known to be brave otherwise
One of the many things you steal

It’s funny that you don’t remember me

I am the mother that gave you birth
Sister of the same blood
Daughter of your father, too

The life line of creation
I am affection and passion
Patience and humility
Strength and resilience

A shoulder to lean on
A pat on the back
I am the sun that shines on you
I carry the future in my womb

I nurture the present
Keep the past in check
For all is I deserve respect
Woman

And if nothing else, I am human, too
Don’t you remember me?

I see despise in your eyes
Leering, jeering lustful glares
Unjustified

Even if my arms are bare
Or covered from head to toe
Walking tall and clicking my heals
Or shuffling along in slippered feet

I am here
I am present
I exist

Though your gropes kill little parts of me
I can die a little each day
But I’m back tomorrow on these same streets
Ready to fight, again

I exist
I am present
I am here
Where I’ve always been

Don’t you remember me?

Where is the precious stone?
Where do you draw the line?
You were the brother I looked to in years gone by

Why have I run so far from where you stand?
Stagnant.
Catch up, evolve

Time is moving
I grow stronger, louder and more powerful
And you?
Your weakness rings through every taunt

And now I’ve found my voice
No, I will not keep it down
Listen to my mighty ruckus
Suffer the consequences of your advances

Stare at me, I will stare you down
With my beautifully lined eyes
And my glossy lips?
They can spew profanities, too

I’ll scream at you
Until your remember me

*Amira Salah-Ahmed

I didn’t know I could dream
Surrendered to this nightmare long ago
I thought I was all alone
Visualized a future I couldn’t own
Walked on a borrowed land
Feeling disloyal and jaded

I didn’t know freedom

Out of the fray and out in the cold
Felt odd to bump into you on this road
Couldn’t smile or look you in the eye
I didn’t know you were me all along
Didn’t think one day we would write this song

I cried for you and felt your pain
My helpless tears wanted to protect you
Wanted to hold your hand
I didn’t see you reaching out, for me

I didn’t know freedom was near

I was always afraid
Slept with dictators in my head
They told me we were different
That we couldn’t understand

They put us in classes
You looked down as I looked up
They widened rifts and deepened valleys
Frustrated, we ran in circles
Looking out for number one, me me and me

You I never knew, you I never looked to
We were never meant to meet in the street
We were not supposed to stand
Shoulder-to-shoulder on this brave bridge

Never allowed to bathe
In the sunlight of this nation
While shouting in the square: Liberation!

I didn’t know freedom would come so soon

They once blew up our sacred unity
But here we birthed harmony
And crossed the crescent with hope
Played music to prayers’ call

We were meant to be on opposite sides
Pitted against the other, daggers ready to pounce
I thought I needed to protect myself
I didn’t know you would die for me
Gave up your life so I could be free

We walked through the toxic air
Marched through floods of water
And we met on the other side
Scattered at first but then solidified

I didn’t know freedom could be so fatal

Wait, but I knew you all along
I knew we were millions-strong
I knew we could roar
Shake this throne to its core
I saw this in a dream
Not knowing it could be real

They knew if we gathered here
Our weight would topple the regime
Our bond would break barricades of fear
Fists would shatter their false security
Chants would put them in a trance

I didn’t know freedom would come so fast

We weren’t supposed to meet this way
I didn’t know it’s us they should fear
You weren’t supposed to die here
I didn’t know how loud we could scream
Enough to pierce their deafened ears

Riddled with rubber bullets, made us stronger
Beaten with batons toughened our stride
Revolution brewing in our minds
Strength in numbers against the tide
And we grew and sprawled this nation wide

Dotting the Nile, conquering the square
Man next to woman
Laughing and praying, dancing and singing
Our positive vibes reverberating

I didn’t know freedom would sound so grand

The battle medieval we fought victorious
Fortified front lines, from the trenches we rise
Storms of rocks and molotovs
Bullets ricocheting off innocent lives

A parade of camel hooves trampling over hearts
Weapons swinging from horseback
Armed with unity against the attack
And we fell and crawled
Blood sprawled over the city

Anger boiling in every home
Made believers out of the self-righteous
And naysayers sang a new tune
Millions on the wavelength of truth

We unmasked the enemy, defeated they ran
Come back with more, they didn’t dare
Beaming with resilience, triumph was ours
Huddled in camps to pass the darkest hours

When the sun rose and we flooded the streets
The earth rumbled beneath our feet
Strategizing ways to scare us away
Brought more of us together every day

Who knew freedom would bring us here?

Their empty rhetoric dashed our hopes
But no going home, he’ll leave, we won’t
Bring down the house, the people demand
Get out we said, don’t you understand?
Our strained voices drowned out this man

After years of tears and heavy hearts
One line, finally: He will depart
And the people, we cheered and started to fly
Our flags, elated, canvassed the skies
You are Egyptian, hold your head high

We run the streets now
We own this land
We bet on the future
And won it back
We’ll paint the cities
A fresh coat of life

I didn’t know freedom would come so soon
I didn’t know freedom could come at all
I didn’t know freedom…But now I do

*Amira Salah-Ahmed

There is an unknown face
Sleeping in the cold
Waiting for a familiar hand
To hold warmth, one last time
To feel human
To feel life, one last time

Before resting in peace
He sleeps
Unidentified

We know how he died
Not how he lived
Who he laughed with
His first word, his first kiss

Did he choose to die?
Was he in your line of fire?
It might have been you
Maybe another time

If I could hear his mother’s cry
Would that shatter the anguish?
Could her tears cleanse his soul?
But she doesn’t know
She can’t pray
She can’t mourn

She doesn’t know he was shot
Cold-blooded in a darkened street
As a rain of Molotovs burned the sky
And a hail of rocks fractured skulls

Someone misses his voice, somewhere
Remembers the traces of his face
Someone needs to be loved, by him
Only him, only he knows how

But no one knows who he is
And all that’s left is this ring
A bond – broken, torn
A life, incomplete

Martyr, unknown
Longs to be seen, one last time
By someone with shared memories
With shared blood
Till then, he cannot rest
In peace
Even if we never forget

*Amira Salah-Ahmed