The secret of the song, Baraye (For…)

Feb7

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What is the secret of this song?

Why did it touch so many hearts?

Why did it become the anthem for a movement?

Why was it worthy of winning a prize?

The song was a cry for freedom

Freedom from nonsensical restrictions

Freedom to express oneself

Freedom from oppressive rules

The words of this song expressed the desires of a people

A people who have suffered for so long

People who are beaten for how they dress

People who are jailed for what they say

The lyrics of this song expressed what was needed

To show the world what was happening in Iran

The days of carrying out injustices without others knowing is over

What is happening is laid bare for all to see

The words that bubbled up from the soul of a young man

Have reached the world

The song has been sung everywhere

The truth is there to be heard

This is the secret of this song

Feb 6th 2023

For Shervin and his song of freedom which won a Grammy

My reading chair

Jan9

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My reading chair

In my reading corner

In my bedroom

Next to the window

Where the sun pours in, in the mornings

My reading chair

A simple Ikea chair

With a footstool

Usually covered with books

Where I do a lot of reading and writing

My reading chair

My oasis

My place of calm

Where I inhale the fragrance

Of other people’s thoughts and feelings

My reading chair

For the last twenty years

And for years to come

Hopefully

January 9th, 2021

Reflections

Jan1

I just realized I’ve been posting poems on this blog for ten years. How the time flies. I’m grateful to have discovered the gift of writing at this point in my life. It centres me, it nourishes me, it helps me process my thoughts and feelings, and I hope my writings bring joy to those who read them. It is important for all of us to identify what we are passionate about and peruse that and if that passion is in a creative field, even better. The arts are expressions of our souls and as such they will touch the souls of others. I wish you a wonderful year and I hope you will pursue your passion as well.

January 1st, 2021

Early mornings

Oct27

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It’s early in the morning

It’s pitch black outside

The rest of the household is sleeping

But I’m wide awake

I pick up my phone

To see what my friends are up to

Their days have already started

They are awake

I talk to my friends in Europe

I talk to my friends in Iran

We talk about history

We talk about art

In this part of the world

My friends are still sleeping

But with the magic of technology

I’m in conversation with those who are not

October 26th, 2019

A gift to myself

Mar16

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I cherish my solitude

A time to reflect

A time to write

There must be no distraction

I especially like coffee shops

This hour in the day has been carved into it

Because I’ve repeated it so many times

It’s now a groove into which I happily fall

It’s an hour when I recharge

It’s a gift I give to myself

This time has brought me so much joy

I’ve spent these hours blissfully

Something so simple

Can nourish my soul

It can be done anytime

Anywhere in the world

March 10th, 2019

One cup

Feb4

One cup of meditation

Along with a cup of coffee

Drunk in a peaceful place

A place where I’m not distracted by daily responsibilities

A place l return to regularly

No matter how busy life gets

One cup of meditation

As addictive as coffee

Often leads to thoughts being written down

This can be a cure for my weary soul

A balm for my sensitive heart

One cup of meditation

Along with a cup of coffee

Consumed daily

Gives me the energy and enthusiasm

To carry on

February 2019

My wish to write

Jan9

I wish to write I told someone in my youth

You haven’t lived enough he told me

You have to experience life

To have something to write about

The cup needs to be filled

Before it can quench someone’s thirst

I was disappointed

Even distraught

I wanted to write ‘now’

But he was proven to be right

I had not lived long enough

Not shed enough tears

Not questioned things I believed in

Not gone through confusion and doubt

Not fallen so hard that it was difficult to get up

The caged bird sings in captivity

It’s her release

It’s her cry of help

In the lonely confines of the cage

It’s what keeps her occupied

It’s what keeps her alive and brings her joy

And others are moved by her song

January 2019

To hell and back

Dec12

It is said to be a poet

You have to go to hell and back

The hell of suffering

The hell of hopelessness

The hell of dreariness

The hell of darkness

Why is that?

Could going to hell and back

Awaken in us emotions which we can then express in poetry?

Could going to hell and back

Teach us the humility that is required

To receive the gift of poetry?

Could going to hell and back

Burn away our impurities?

Could going to hell and back

Make brighter the colours of the world?

Could going to hell and back

Help us mature?

Going to hell and back

Seems and is awful

But if the result is poetry

What a gift

December 10th, 2018

Writing

Oct20

I write to sort out my thoughts and figure things out