 Mamaan-bozorg
Farnoosh Seiffodini
December 10, 2006
iranian.com
In Sept. 1980, Iraq seized 90 sq mi of Iranian territory in the Shatt al-Arab but failed to win the swift victory predicted by many; a bloody war of attrition set in.
When we heard the sirens
my sisters knew what to do.
But I stood
staring at the layered shadows
their arms threw on the wall
fingers pointing at me.
Then she would come grab me
her gray thin strands of hair
a halo in the candlelight
her fingertips
cold and dry
brushing my forehead
nodding
rocking
pressing my face
to a bony chest
that had nursed ten children.
I liked her huddling in the doorway with us.
From "You Where I’ve Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora" (University of Arkansas Press, 2006) edited by Persis Karim.
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