Trees To Sticks And Seeds Poem by Nassy Fesharaki

Trees to sticks and seeds

My friend, he is kind
-offered me, once again,
-some seeds of pomegranate.

"Thank you, " I told him,
- "Be polite and thankful."
-My parents told me, taught.

I watched him taking seeds
-kept flat my palm as he had filled,
-looked at him like watching a movie
-he took some into mouth sucked on juice,
-spitted the half-chewed.

Observing told me all
-of him and relations
-with fruit that has been
-the main part of my life.

I was born in large house
-no one saw wall to wall
-architect was mother
-and builders, both parents
-each adobe filled with love.
-Being on a hillside
-it had to have flat, step parts
- "Persian Garden; " as is called.

The buildings consisted
-of s and storage, stables;
-each segment divided.

The guests'-room was a must
-near gate, well-planned
-to be used for public-private
-entrance was from corridor,
- (enough and L-shaped
-for keeping the household, separate.)

Its window, with three large frames
-faced the lively gardens.

In front of the rooms
-right before farms, trees,
-house-width-long veranda.

"Here, will set the beds
-for my sons and their wives;
-divide each by curtains…"
-said mom; the engineer.

She was a dreamer
-but great.

I miss her!

Veranda had a wall of trees
-to part it from farms and the rest.
-Trees of pomegranate…

They were too organised
-in distance and the size.

I was born among them
-grew with the "Fruit of Heaven"
- (A great example of nature.)

We, the boys, when small
-stood there pulled pants down
-played and led the pee
-to branch of tree…
-when late in evening
-or in cold of dark nights,
-till the dawns of mornings.

Not later when grown
-losing teeth.

In such times we had fun.
-Took thread and tied it to loose-tooth
- "One, two…jump…"
-we could see on gallows
-dangling on its noose was gone tooth.
-Then from we acted as do men; grown ups.


Pomegranates and we, boys, were friends
-we made teams and always played games
-from when leaves were young and small
-to when buds turned into flowers
-to when their children fell and died;
- (aborted by the wind or sickness
-or lack of space, or
-jealousy and fight of siblings.)

Our balls were the green-corpses of children
-we gathered for our games to enjoy
-drilled holes in them, roped, made Yo-Yos.

In times and when older were corpses
-we opened the dead to study; physicians:
- "This is mouth, that throat…intestine…"

But hard part the life was stick of tree
-the teachers cut them off and freed
-from thorns, germinates and the leaves.

"Raise you hand…keep palm up…"
-we were told if did wrong.

Burned in palm to muscles of the arm
-from the kindness of masters for training.

Charles Dickens, Jack London
-talk of same…penetrate deep in time…
-I am child of era they talk of…

The parents and teachers, elderly
-meant good and felt was right
-to teach and punish us…

Looking back at those days
-and devil that I was
-I agree with them all
- "I deserved punishment…"

We grew as passed time, with trees, animals.

Pomegranates did the same
-grew large
-the green skins changed
-as do girls'
-pinkish, red, light-brown
-and smiled;
-in their teeth a deep love.

We, the boys, the demons
-or devils in shape of human
-played games
-include small thefts
-sneaking into farms of neighbours
-or going to bring water but
-peeking to see women when naked.
-They went to wash, clean vagina
-after peed in public toilets…

My friend is from Bangladesh
-he knows not pomegranate
-chews on seed for some juice
-then spits the useful,
-disrespects the remains of the seeds.

Bewildered, fallen jaw, opened eye
-I mean to tell him how he is wrong
-do not dare
- "It is mean…" tell myself.

Ignorance is bliss.
Ignorance is bliss.
Ignorance is bliss.

I leave him to remain ignorant.
I leave him to remain ignorant.
I leave him to remain ignorant.

See the same in today's politics
-the voting, electing, law-making.

Ignorance is bliss.
I leave world to remain ignorant.