Red In Rain Poem by Nassy Fesharaki

Red in rain

Carlos wrote of ‘plumbs' that he ate
Williams sat and watched ‘wheelbarrow, red in rain'
Ginsberg talked of the ‘arse' and its sex, in open.

In class we were told to read and praise them
We read of Pope, Rilke, and Percy, and many
Less of Pond, the poet of Cantos
One of my favourites…

I come of Persia
Told, trained: "Be polite"
I follow Hafez and Saadi and
Rumi and sure Khayyam…
Persian is poetry, so poets are many, too many
to list them I need sea as my ink
and jungle to be my papyrus…

This is why I write of
leaf, trees undressed;
cockroaches' smartness
and tribes and nations,
united, divided.

I write of stupid politics,
shamelessness in this field!

These pawns are worse than the prostitutes
they are pawns with ego, less of need
they are pawns and are beasts.

I write of simple pawns in chess games
of borders
of colours
and of faiths.

You who reads
must get it
I'm concerned
and I care.

Of ego, ugliness, I'm tired.