During his 1988 imprisonment in Burma’s notorious Insein Prison Zarganar was severely beaten during an interrogation, losing his teeth. He was also forced to re-enact his satirical jokes in front of military intelligence interrogators while hung upside down.

Although reading and writing were banned in the prison cells, Zarganar scraped the dust off bricks, added water and used the mixture to write poems on the floor. He then committed these to memory, before sweeping away the evidence. After his release from prison, he published the following poems.

Untitled (1998)

From the tree of my feelings Sprang exquisite leaves, Tendrils, branches Which awoke my senses And entwined my thoughts. And from the lines Composed in mind, Came these verses Written in blood. On blank pages With invisible ink.

Untitled (1998)

They may greet you with applause But don’t get ideas. Show’s over boys Prepare to step down (Untitled, Zarganar, 15 October 1988)

However (1998)

We cry out "We’ve won!" And raise both arms in glee. But when we lose Both arms go up again.

Untitled (1998)

With row upon row of iron bars They can cage me. With the heat of seven suns They can roast me. With a battalion of ogres They can guard me. But if I took my scarlet blood And sprayed it all across the sky The bars would melt The ogres kneel Their suns kowtow before me.