diary of a tree
book 4
Goli Khalatbary
To my mother's heart.
Book 1 and 2 of this quartet have been published
by Mage Publishers, Washington DC, USA
softly softly
enfolded in birdsongs
and loose silver dust
I dissolve ties
holding me to this ground
its insidious lies
its perfidious times
sorrow is corroding my roots
the wind vowed
I'll collect love pollen
to heal blue lesions
the wind vowed
I'll twirl in blind alleys
reveal other visions
the wind vowed
I'll adorn dreams
to reduce erosions
beloved
how swift was the twist of fate
to wreck our rainbow season
my friend the crow is disconsolate
why is it so disused
the little room in the red courtyard
where the fountain remains quiet
while the well is filled
by the voice of the local bard
disenchantment
is like a bat in a sunbird's heart
the lovers
one had magnolias in bloom
reflected in the eyes
asked where is tomorrow
the other whispered
to seasoned rocks
where is yesterday
the elder:
I am too tired
for another foliage story
sing your song
of honeysuckle and bergamots
the poet said
but the dancer plants forget-me-nots
notes:
the road is nearby
conceals the polestar
leaves me confused
guideless sightless
also: where are you
when not here
also: waiting for dawn
at the wrong end of night
the wanderer:
I dreamt of a green hand
in a glass case
as tall as the rest of the forest
am I finally in the right place
living the bad is better than imagining the worst
remembered moments
rise from deep rifts
to be enclosed
in a burning embrace
gray gazelles shrink their hearts
to survive drought spells
if I learn to achieve this
would you fit me in the arms of tenderness
so it is now
what was not to be
solitude spreading
with the profusion of grass
green parrots pecking
at nascent stars
I fumigating
fireflies' fables
what does no strings attached mean
asks the child
I have just watched a puppeteer
a kite is reeling in adverse currents
scarecrow sighs
it's back to bits and pieces
what do you hope to harvest
staying bonded to missed lands
the dragonfly came back
from the land of ominous drums
greetings from the one
who is aging without a smile
greetings from the one
who spurned a thousand signs
greetings from the one
whose voice is confined
in the narrow space
allocated by time
where fate is decided
before a word is said
before the call to grieve
I stand in the summer light
invoke merciful powers
and pray for a reprieve
how did a step too far
lead to this bitter end
why did a step too far
trespass on the innocent space
that was the meeting ground
of white horses on starry nights
you think you know the colour of day
until you meet night daytime
you think you know the colour of night
until you strip darkness nighttime
one came before sunrise
asked was it a fantasy
(I was sleepy
it didn't make much sense)
the other came after sunset
said it was a fantasy
(I was sleepy
it didn't make much sense)
they both missed the solar hours
the lovers
my friend the crow
is clad in annoyance
hesitant to trust
my clumsy new colours
scarecrow has no longer access
to this or other fields
having denied credence
to the poet and the dancer and the lovers
so simple so simple reaching surrender
emptiness could no longer constrain me
absence figured out other meanings when
we stopped speaking the same language after
separation searching crossroads I forgave
transcendence for being so absolute
that was the end of the end
I stand alone
no blueberries for robins
downpours on stints
murmuring in the wind
the dust will leave imprints
I stand alone
birds nests are the secret
of a hollow heart
still awaiting flight
with bubble flowers
and bursts of light
the cycle is complete
...just one more breath...
in the heart of rain and lightning
the magician performed in thunder
weaved moon tides to entwine stars
weaved stars to wrap around nights
weaved nights in rain and lightning
counterpoint interplay merger
from across continents
and countless oceans
enticing obstinate clouds
to disperse soundlessly
a new harmony
this morning
emerging from the remains of winter
I responded to the rousing
of orange blossoms
one of the multiple facets of the impossible
is a mutated possible
2006 - Tehran, Iran
