Monika El Che Poem by Nassy Fesharaki

Monika el Che

Times and times,
Tired, I
Let my head to be guest
Of my two lonely palms.

Was homesick, broken,
Came in call,
Was sister, I answered.

We spoke of Iran,
Miseries, daily life
As do the siblings
Divided by the seas.

Told me how I am seen
By the nephew and niece.

"Complained my daughter
From those who rebelled
Against shah, who escaped, "
Said sister.

Her reply was simple:
"Go blame your uncle!
We followed a learned,
He rose, we did the same."

I tried to keep calm
A kind of laughed, smiled:
"He was fool or was fooled
And saw us as mules."

I said and explained:
"Our wealth and minerals
Were sold out for peanut
To masters, Hollywood,
If they paid was by junks
Like movies made on us
And their old useless arms
And we paid their men to
Come, teach us to be lice."

Then gave her examples
Of how I had acted
When in charge, connected
To what was revolution:
"Was honest, devoted
To the men and women,
To parents, children,
That made up our nation."

I named some examples.

Wondered how to tell her
Of the facts and the pains
That make us like el Che
To risk life and raise arms.

To her, Butch Cassidy
Is nothing but movie…

To her, the Frankenstein
If known, is fiction-lie…

She knows not of Percy
Nor of Mary Shelly
But I wrote an essay
On patchy Frankenstein.

Zipped my lips
Kept silent…

Sure, she and her daughter
Know not of Che's friends!

I know of Tania
As well as Monika.

The latter took revenge
From the murderer
Of the Bike-Riding Che.

Surprise, both women
By blood were German!