A twelve-year-old radiating heaven
I’m sitting high up in a huge walnut tree
standing in its glory in the midst of
Grandma’s orange orchard under
a roasting summer sun
on the shore of the
Caspian Sea.
Easing off on play and breezy plots,
I repose in the shaded bosom of this
Persicon [1], on the centre padding whence
the smooth satin branches, firm, flexible,
without a thorn or a spike, spread out
and up in all directions.
Above me, towering roof of velvety leaves,
long, fern-like, fragrant when bruised,
light green nuts from the female flowers
beside the male ones of spring
royal nuts fit for the king of the gods,
Jupiter [2].
Within me, a black panther with green
copper eyes crouches in crescent
pose under my solar
plexus.
Before me, golden blades of tall
grass, random yellow wildflowers,
dense rows of orange trees bearing
hundreds of little green orbs,
unready, unripe.
Then suddenly a distant blue patch
of the Caspian Sea jumps to the eyes
between the tips of two cypress trees
on the sides of the far-away
front gate.
I linger in the cool shade, absorbing
the sun-drenched vista, listening
for the sounds of crickets, birds,
breathe in the bare essence
of the world.
And when a tingle of the breeze strokes
my face, all terrestrial thoughts exit
my mind, and a white lotus
blossoms within my pregnant
heart.
©2009, Azadeh Azad
Notes
[1] Persicon: Greek word for Walnut Tree, which is originally native to Northern Iran.
[2] The Latin name for Persian Walnut Tree is JuGlans Regia. Regia means Royal, and JuGlans means “Jupitor’s acorn” or “nut fit for the God Jupiter.”
