by Marjan Sabouri
Underground shelters
with the smell of sweat and fear
in musty air—
These are my first feelings of war,
as I was a little child.
A dark cocoon
that surrounded my childhood.
Now, in my forties,
I experienced the second touch of war.
Israel attacked Iran,
while I was far from my homeland.
Darkness ravished me again.
Not as musty shelters,
but of total net blackout.
For days,
I had no news
from my loved ones.
All those fears and scents
came down on me.
The silkworm
that was ready to emerge
got cocooned again,
in the dark.
Not long after,
a massacre of many Iranians
who fought for basic rights
occurred in only two days.
Unbelievably heartbreaking.
Memories run through my head,
a track of caterpillars;
The faces of those youths
beautiful and filled with hope
covered in body bags.
The voice of “Sepehr e baba, kojaei?”
—the desperate father that called for his dead son among many dead bodies.
The ecstatic voice of the little child
when she saw her father’s face in TV
and screamed out of joy: “Babaei! Babaei!”—it’s dad—
without knowing
it was a list of the deceased.
The ululating and grief-dancing
of bereaved mothers
at the funerals of their beloved children—
As the cocoon
was getting thicker,
I made another memory of war.
America and Israel attacked Iran.
Broken and helpless,
people who live in enduring emptiness
—in mind and in pockets—
pray for the foreign attackers
to save their lives.
Wishing for freedom in war.
Wishing for happiness in ruin.
Wishing for life in death.
Will there be a hope
to tear away the cocoon
under the crash
and release the butterfly?
Marjan Sabouri, a 44-year-old Iranian woman, has a Master’s Degree in Illustration. She has completed many art works in Illustration and Design and has served as a University Lecturer for almost 12 years. Mostly, she writes her poems in Farsi, her mother tongue. However, since living abroad the last two years, she has started to translate her poems (by herself) to be shared with a bigger community of people in order to spread the message of Humanity, Peace, and Love worldwide. She wishes to be a voice protesting injustice and human rights violations, especially now, in Iran and in the Middle East.
in musty air—
These are my first feelings of war,
as I was a little child.
A dark cocoon
Now, in my forties,
I experienced the second touch of war.
Israel attacked Iran,
while I was far from my homeland.
Not as musty shelters,
but of total net blackout.
For days,
I had no news
from my loved ones.
All those fears and scents
came down on me.
The silkworm
got cocooned again,
in the dark.
Not long after,
a massacre of many Iranians
occurred in only two days.
Unbelievably heartbreaking.
Memories run through my head,
a track of caterpillars;
beautiful and filled with hope
covered in body bags.
The voice of “Sepehr e baba, kojaei?”
The ecstatic voice of the little child
when she saw her father’s face in TV
without knowing
it was a list of the deceased.
The ululating and grief-dancing
of bereaved mothers
As the cocoon
was getting thicker,
I made another memory of war.
America and Israel attacked Iran.
Broken and helpless,
people who live in enduring emptiness
pray for the foreign attackers
Wishing for freedom in war.
Wishing for happiness in ruin.
Wishing for life in death.
Will there be a hope
under the crash
and release the butterfly?
Marjan Sabouri, a 44-year-old Iranian woman, has a Master’s Degree in Illustration. She has completed many art works in Illustration and Design and has served as a University Lecturer for almost 12 years. Mostly, she writes her poems in Farsi, her mother tongue. However, since living abroad the last two years, she has started to translate her poems (by herself) to be shared with a bigger community of people in order to spread the message of Humanity, Peace, and Love worldwide. She wishes to be a voice protesting injustice and human rights violations, especially now, in Iran and in the Middle East.
