I am traveling north
Leaving Tehran in a car
With my family
On a snaking road
I am going up and through
The craggy mountains
The air is cool and refreshing
Cold snow-melt water
Wet the rock walls
Lining the mountain road
I pass through the tunnels
Dark and cave-like
Prompting mischief
They are so much fun
The mountains are turning green
The road begins a descend
Into the Caspian plain
I am staring keenly
At the green and lush landscape
I am daydreaming
I imagine my self
Living in the forest
Fishing, hunting
Self-reliant
The road follows the rushing streams
It is taking me by villages and rice patties
Soon I am on the shores of the Caspian
It is rainy and very humid
The air is warm and heavy
Walking on the warm sand
I behold the sight and the sounds
Of the rumbling waves
Breathing in the moist and salty sea breeze
I go for a swim
Then I comb through the beach
For the things the waves bring in
The colors of the sky and sea
Are changing every few minutes
Looking toward the horizon
The vast sea, stretching far
I wonder what the future holds for me
It is the summer of 1978
I am 15 years old
Without the slightest hint
That this may be the last time
I am setting my eyes
On my beloved Caspian
-Rotterdam, Netherlands
This poem was first published in Payam-e-Ashena, a Southern California Iranian-American community journal.
