Perhaps the next shore
A tribute to Shirin Bakhtiar
December 11, 2003
The Iranian
They called me a rose
a flower, by the wrong name
I am the narcissus:
................a reflection in your watery eyes
..........................a voice
blown into the wind
....................................the dream that never was
In my hallucinations I dreamed of hope
I heard the shatter of my heart…time and again
I danced on the desert sand and sang to strangers
a narcissus,
..................I looked for my reflection in the watery eyes of my lovers
But, sail away I must,
for there are more lands for Kristofer
Kolumbus to discover,
.........................................................................more
hearts to break
How well I know
"
The sky is the same color, no matter where you go"
I spoke many tongues
and like a mocking bird, had many voices
But my songs were all the same:
........................................a tribute to loneliness
Perhaps the next shore
would hold happiness for Kristofer
another land, another people
I taste their wine and soak in their sun
Am I sailing in circles?
Isn't this the same bitter wine, the same lover?
I see the narcissus in his watery eyes,
....................................................smaller than before,
.........................................................................like a forget-me-not
I now sail away to a place that never was, and never will be
I hold my dreams in my closed fist
The night is no longer dark, nor lonely
I look into the waves in search of my reflection
.........................................................................that's all I want to see
the storm breaks me up
a narcissus…
......................in tiny white
pieces
.........................................................sailing
away…..
About
Zohreh Khazai Ghahremani is a retired dentist and a freelance
writer. She lives in San Diego, California. Top
* Send
this page to your friends
|