Interview with Ali al-Sharqawi

The following is an excerpt from a recent interview with poet Ali al-Sharqawi.  Connect these ideas with his poem Warmth of Blood.

Al-Shorfa: What are the most prominent challenges faced by writers and poets in Bahrain? And, in your opinion, what are their solutions?

Al-Sharqawi: After half a century of writing, the challenge now, in my opinion, is not external or objective. The challenge now is between the poet and his craft, the poet and his ability to reach deep into his infinite imagination, and between the people and the cosmic spirit, which he must know how to deal with. In the beginning our concern was national, then regional then class-related, but for me now, my concern is humanitarian. Each human being on this planet is an extension of me. Now, I do not believe in the "the other," because "the other" is an extension of my being. Now, I do not see barriers between man and the environment, between man and other creatures, man and the universe. To my mind, the role of the national, patriotic, revolutionary and class intellect has ended, and the turn for the universal intellect has arrived.