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Conversation in the dark
By Nader Naderpour, Los Angeles, December 1999. [Unpublished. Translated by Farhad Mafie June 2000.] (His last poem, composed on December 1999 and dedicated to his wife Jaleh) To:
My Dear Jaleh
In
the middle of the night when I am sick and awake there
is no familiar light from any opening the
calm sound of your deep breathing and
the continuous ticking of the clock harmonize
with the rhythm of my heartbeat. Then
I realize that even though my thoughts are lonesome my
heart is no longer lonesome in my chest. Slowly
I bend my head over your bed I
kiss your sleep-filled eyelashes softly You
feel the weight of the kiss on your eye You
smile and I patiently kiss your cheek Even
though your laughter spreads in my ears. But
in the dark waves of the night your
smiling face is not obvious. I
calmly light a match to
light up your face from its illumination But
very soon that red sparking phosphor falling
and rising on my two burning fingers dies
in kinks and twists of dancing. Once
again the space of our small bedroom is
overcome with darkness. I
tell myself except for a short time, at
the moment of seeing your dear face: my
eyes don't have a chance of seeing you. Just
like a child frightened by darkness. I
find my way to your arms. Terrified
by something unknown. I
whisper this secret in your ears: O! Kinder than the world's kindest! O
fellow-traveler! O friend! O sweetheart! O mother! Scream
so loudly that even the heavy death of the heart Won't
be able to separate us at the moment of farewell Because
we both know, in the chaos of the world from
the crowded population from
what exists in the endless horizon our
lot is just our solitude This
house smaller than a boat We
its distressed passengers Moving
forward in the wide sea of exile But
in the frightening horizon of this sea Night
is overwhelming, From
every vicious side there is no path to tomorrow.
Copyright
© 2003 by Farhad Mafie. All
rights reserved. No reprint, duplication, or distribution of this material in any form is allowed without written permission. For information, please contact Farhad Mafie at Mafie@att.net or at (949) 851-1714. |