Published in Overland Issue 217 Summer 2014 · Uncategorized In Memoriam Hashem Shaabani Martin Kovan (Ahwazi Arab poet executed by the Iranian regime, 27 January 2014) We searched you in the hollows And we searched you in the fen We took you down for mercy And we took you down again We heard you’d gone a-roaming And taken up your pen We heard you used the Holy Name And took that Name in vain We saw you in the papers And we heard you in the den We knew you’d gone a-roaming By the treason of your pen We thought we’d show you mercy And let you live again We thought we’d offer clemency If you’d just put down the pen You raised it high against us Stabbed us dead and dead again With your prophecies of freedom That take the Holy Name in vain. We searched you in the hollows And we searched you in the fen We took you down for mercy And we took you down again We found you in the hollows And we found you in the fen And we took you down for mercy So you’ll never rise again. Martin Kovan Martin Kovan is an Australian writer and ethicist, with a PhD. in Philosophy from Melbourne University. He also at one time trained, at Sydney University and at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, in classical music composition. His most recent book publication is A Buddhist Theory of Killing: a philosophical exposition (Springer Verlag, 2022). More by Martin Kovan › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 8 May 202611 May 2026 · Nakata Brophy Prize The 2026 Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers (Poetry) Editorial Team Please follow this link to enter the prize. Sponsored by Trinity College at the University of Melbourne and supporters, the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers, established in 2014 […] 7 May 20267 May 2026 · Gaming Weaponised play: are loot boxes pokies for kids? Tom Gurn In the last decade, chance mechanics have been increasingly exploited by the video game industry to attract players, including very young ones. And while the federal government is clearly aware of the risks, it really isn’t clear what the right step forward is.
