Mom's Radio Poem by Nassy Fesharaki

Mom's Radio

I love mom
-and hate her
-not hate, hate
-very sad, pity her

She opposed radio
-as the cats hated dogs
-the same for cat and mouse

"What is that? "
-I asked her about sound
- (of voices that I heard)
- "Some dogs are in a box…"
-she replied…

It was not sufficient; I wondered
- "Dogs speak as we do? How smart! "
-did not dare go further
-both fear and respect
- "She is Mom, knows better! "

Was sixteen and friend with Ali
-we went to radio as did dogs
-hungry, naively looking at the butcher
-for a loaf, piece of meet
-we wanted to become employed.

What a change! ! ! ? ? ?
- (all in me, same person.)

The past right was now wrong
-and my right was mom's wrong
-until when we had that breakfast
- (miracle by our mom!)

My dad, Mom and myself were born
-in a village and away from town
-with our own way of life, and culture
-different, though the same
-as the rest of Iran, but local

Mother was proudly to explain:
-I made it based on a recipe
- (from the radio! ! !)

"Take pumpkin and peel it,
-remove seeds and cut it
-to cubes, cubicles
-small like cube sugar.
-take water, add little lime powder
- (not too much) and stir
-drop the pumpkins in
-give it time for a day
-then after boil sugar in water
-not too thick but juicy
-drop cubes, let it boil

What she made was super
-in the mouth, on the tongue
-it broke, sweet, soft
-far better than honey…"

And mother felt proud…

Her past wrong was now right
-and worthy of the love…

"What is right? "
"What is wrong? "

Keeps ringing in my head…
-when I read and listen
-whenever socialise
-see people
-varied past, locations
-their genders and ages
-shapes, colours

Every text, material is mason
-builds questions; over all, general
-and shrunk to the bone:

"What is right? "
"What is wrong? "

Love to take my brain
-and leave it on counter
-spread like butter on bread
-to the thinnest layer
-and question:

"What is right? "
"What is wrong? "

I read of statues here, there
-Canada, USA to Peter
-as heroes
-some removed
-some the cause of blood
-hate and fight
-memories of the past
-bloodshed, fight and hate
-and returns the question:

"What is right? "
"What is wrong? "

Have been on many roads, visited areas
-one was the "Chorney Richka"
-Pushkin duelled, later died
-for honour, on woman
-Lermontov and others
-on sissy or brave
-and question back again:

"What is right? "
"What is wrong? "

Many books that have read
-the ruins, palaces, museums visited
-are mostly related
-to rulers and murders
-Empires and Kingdoms
-religions and the faiths
-among them Christians
-Catholic-Orthodox
-Alexander Nevsky,
-the Mongols and Tatars
-him being a prince and saying:
- "I rather kiss the hand of a Muslim
-than bowing to Roman Christians…"

Bloodshed, bloodshed, bloodshed
-and question:

"What is right? "
"What is wrong? "

I read of Saladin and Richard
-Muslim-and-Christians
-bloodshed, bloodshed, bloodshed
-and question:

"What is right? "
"What is wrong? "

I follow all the wars
-till get to WWII, WWI
-so many were killed and
-lost their homes,
-were killed and fires-burned
-women raped by soldiers
-and question:

"What is right? "
"What is wrong? "

My head is a storm
-its thunder sees Yankees
-in Bagram to Baghdad
- "Rape and burn…"

Now we have a bully; Donald Trump! ! !
-he is a vampire and thirsty for blood! ! !

Seeing wolf rule the herd
-I shiver with anger and question:

"What is right? "
"What is wrong? "