Woman 3 Poem by Nassy Fesharaki

Woman 3

Badly miss my village
-on the hill, in mountains
-natural life, wilderness
-howl of wolf, songs of birds
-and coming, and going
-moon at nights
-days' sunlight
-with breeze that welcomed
-the nice chill of weather
-kissing leaves of trees
-massaging sheep' skin
-dangling skin-bag
-that contained
-yoghurt, kashk…

I miss them all; badly
-but still rummaging
-the city's roads, highways
-courts, circles and alleys
-I find a large mirror
-in it me and others
-see many men, women
-see virtue of myself
-with ugly, beauty
-short and tall
-fat and thin.

I look and see people,
-buildings and vehicles.
-Feel viewing myself…
-in Tehran
-when I was teenager;
- "Hey, you see that woman? "
-now, hear tell myself!
-Her jacket is mustard
-possibly of leather!
- (Natural? Artificial?)
-is too tight and buttoned
-badly fit with wrinkles…

I vision the "Tofiq"
-an Iranian magazine
-caricature, a comic.

Its cover, a woman
-face is full, rest, chador
-age-wise is mother...

Watermelons on her chest
-huge hill, as buttocks.

My words hide in throat
-can't get out, since are choked!
- (Speak? Want; but I fail!)

Questions form, flourish:
-What is the beauty?
-to eyes of a women?
-to the eyes of a man?
-what is use of makeup?
-dress code, loose or tight?
-does she look in mirror?
-does she check measurement?
-what about the wrinkles?
-on her back, around neck?
-does she know that jacket
-makes her far uglier?

Then questions:
-what is the beauty?
-can person be ugly?
-who approves or reject?
-who says yes and accepts?

These in mind, miss village
-where we had our oven
-of mud and in ground,
-burning wood, bush, tinder
-fresh were milk, bread.
-and dairies from milk!
-Had good, best of health
-all around wilderness
-walked lizards, sang the birds.
-Plenty were brood, chickens, hens!