Tag Archive | Poetry

Not religious

Jul25

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He told me he is not religious

But he believes any good thing you do for others comes back to you

Karma, I guess

I thought to myself

I think that’s exactly what being religious is about

Doing good deeds and helping other without wanting a reward

Otherwise, what good comes of being religious?

If religion does not make you a better person

If religion does not teach you to help others

If religion does not tell you about the importance of selflessness

What good is religion?

If you call yourself something but you do something else

You are an imposter

You are just pretending

It doesn’t do you or others any good

If you call yourself a peacock

But act like a chicken

Then, you are a chicken 

It’s not about what you call yourself

It’s about how you live your life

July 25th, 2023

On writing

Jun28

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Nothing to do
Nowhere to be
No one to see
Quiet surroundings
Only the sound of the birds
Me and my thoughts
Those are the conditions of writing for me
Once a phrase is there
I start and see where it goes

Time is needed
Can’t be rushing all the time
Need to sit for a while with my thoughts
Contemplate
Connect to that deep place in my soul
Where meaning roams
Where emotions dance
Where ideas emerge

In that solemn space
Words appear out of seemingly nowhere
And flow across the page

June 28th, 2023

Ten shining souls

Jun27

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It would have been better to be executed

Than continue to be in prison under those conditions

It was the early days of the revolution and 

Many Baha’is were imprisoned and a number of them were executed

There were no social media back then

No online campaigns

These dark deeds took place 

Without the knowledge of others

Only the family of the prisoners and their friends

Would find out their fate after it was too late

Illegal arrests and imprisonments

No lawyers

Sham court proceedings 

Torture 

Asking the prisoners to recant and be set free

Asking them for money to spare their lives

Unspeakable acts 

The prisoners’ only refuge 

Their Faith

Their support for each other 

Their determination to stand firm 

To hear the moaning of other prisoners in pain

To witness the result of the torture of their friends 

To be insulted and humiliated 

It was easier to be executed and set free of those terrible conditions 

But Olya was released 

And she did was she promised the others

She told the story of the ten brave women of Shiraz 

Now the whole world knows what went on

During those terrible days and

The sacrifices that were made by these pure souls 

They were released from this mortal world

And their spirits soared towards their Beloved

Their suffering ended 

And they proved their love and devotion

Those were dark days 

But the light these souls shine 

Will illumine our world forever 

June 15, 2023

Inspired by a talk by Olya Roohizadegan  

about ten Baha’i women killed in Shiraz in 1983

A woman’s voice

Jun21

 

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A meeting is in progress over Zoom

University professors and administrators at work

I hear the confident voice of a woman 

Who seems to be chairing the meeting

The cadence of her voice 

It’s tone

The words she uses

All tell of her competence

And her assurance that she is being heard

Because she has ideas that are important to share

I hear men’s voices too 

But hers is dominant

They are obviously solving problems and making plans

How wonderful to see women in science

In the highest echelons 

Voicing their opinions

Leading the charge

This is how it should be in all areas

This is the sign of things to come

June 21st, 2023

Mother tongue

May3

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I’m sitting at the coffee shop 

Having my morning coffee and writing

There is a couple sitting to my left

The woman has dark curly hair

The man is wearing a suit

They are having an animated conversation

In a language other than French or English

There is a man sitting to my right

The food he is having as a wonderful aroma

An early lunch

He is talking on the phone

Speaking in a language other than French or English

This, my friends is Canada

Where we often hear people speaking in their native tongues

Waves of immigrants keep coming to Canada every year

And with them they bring their cultures and languages

They learn English and French too

But they also converse in their mother tongue

This, my friends is Canada 

May 3rd, 2023

Why fear?

Apr13

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No wonder people are hesitant to even use the word cancer

It used to be a terrible disease

Often detected too late 

Resulting in death often

We knew so little

Treatments were new and being developed

But things have changed

Early detection makes all the difference

Treatments are better and more effective

Years of trials and research has paid off

Cancer is no longer a death sentence

But being vigilant is important

Screening is important

A healthy life style is important

Prevention is the best treatment 

We need not be afraid of cancer

But we do have to be proactive 

April 13th, 2023

Love of my life

Apr11

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In the quiet of the early morning

It’s me, my iPad and my thoughts

It’s raining outside, Vancouver style

It’s good to be with family I don’t see often

It’s good to be taken care of as a guest

I do think about the surgery that’s ahead

But it should be OK

I’ll be brave

I know what to expect this time

A few days of discomfort and pain

But those will pass too

And with them, my time dealing with cancer

I think of my projects to come

So grateful I enjoy writing

So grateful I can share what I write

This is something I need never to retire from

This is the love of my life

April 11th, 2023

Six months

Apr4

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Six months of chemo is almost finished

It seemed so long to begin with

But life goes on 

Some months were easier and some more challenging

But if the result is good, it’s been worth it 

My hair fell out

That was traumatic

It’s growing now

That makes me happy

My nails got dark 

But I’ve painted them and they look good

That funny taste in my mouth

Does not go away

And I look forward to it being gone

Nausea only the first three months

Fatigue mostly in those months too

Maybe I was lucky to have only these side effects

It can always be worse

Now I look forward

Two operations and radiation therapy

That should be six months too

But life goes on 

And it will be over before I know it

April 3rd, 2023

The answer is no!

Mar5

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You want me to cover my hair

I say no!

You say it’s the sign of piety

I say no!

You say it will protect me from harm

I say no!

You say otherwise I’ll excite men

I say no!

You can’t convince me to do something I don’t want to do

You don’t realize how strong I am

You have tried to put me down

But each time, you see me rise 

You fear me and my courage 

You should!

I am determined and won’t back down 

I will continue this fight 

I see you are worried and

You should be! 

Women, life, liberty!

March 2023 

Women, life, liberty

Mar3

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Girl children are being poisoned

Why?

Because they fear them

They fear the strength of their character

They fear their desire to for equality

They fear their resolve to achieve it

Why else would they poison them?

Women have shown how powerful they are

How determined they are

How fearless they are

How disruptive of the norms of the regime they are

This poisoning will only strengthen their resolve

It will bing their cause to the world

It will show the cruelty of those in power

And how low they will go to achieve their goals

The day is near that all these atrocities will come to an end

When those responsible will be prosecuted

When justice and equality will return to our land

When women, life, liberty will prevail

March 3rd, 2023

For the women and girl children of Iran