The plain is green The page, white And the line, a row of passing sheep there is no green But everywhere a blackening I too—who is writing—am the shepherd Taking my words to graze To arrange some fodder For the wolf of the hills wound up in the office of the censor Stalking round for words. And without me these words are just sheep grazing as they are bound to Eat looking for answers The poor sheepdog too Is censoring words Sniffing for bones. What does the Poor dog know When you are a poet you are Jesus The shepherd Mohammad, Moses Upset at all this blackening Herding after the green that is not. One of these words strikes out for hills and dales Another goes after Joseph's coat of many colours Takes refuge in a well If the mountain goat is faint hearted Dashes for dale and hills out of fear To take refuge with the wolf It is not the poet's fault that you censored him It was for him that you released it The bullet shot in the air In my air to spread darkness on the page for blindness to come in fashion Distance has always been my close relation I know exile scene by scene Five lit windows A bare and only tree Behind a naked autumn The scenery a few acts in the mist That I am still directing A bit of a wink over there Red A moment's embrace over here meaning Give a bit of bosom without a grudge Oh son of whoever your father wanted of your mother to bring a son But where?! Your poet wanted to bring a spouse Don't be peevish To make a Romeo for Juliet Didn't work Wanted his big words to hit the last wire No matter what Now that some bone is left in these pages It's the turning of the wrench A game of nuts and bolts A rending of the heart for nothing—this loving A night that spilled out of a parcel Is more of a goner than the stain That takes over this leap year It's the turning of a wrench in the flesh Torture of words from the front and behind A Romeo has run away from me lips that run away with the face But don't land a kiss don't sort with a Juliet But the official A wolf that eats the flesh of my words Is still censorship
—Ali Abdolrezaei
Translated into English by Abol Froushan.
© Ali Abdolrezaei. All rights reserved. The contents of this page may not be copied or reprinted, either physically or electronically, without permission from the author. For more information, contact Ali Abdolrezaei.