Rakht-Shoor-Khooneh Poem by Nassy Fesharaki

Rakht-shoor-khooneh

Now, feel like chameleon
My huge eyes rotate, circle,
To see things, deep, detailed,
From past, to now and future,
Look around, everywhere.

In times feel like kicked ball,
Keep rolling, hitting walls,
And I reach where am now.

Talk with me about seen,
And observed, observing,
Width, lengths, of history!

Most of times I am lost,
Particle in the dust!

Went after my passport,
Sat on bench in the yard,
Next to me an old man
Felt knowing everything.

His comments on women
Took me to places…

To him the women are
Nothing but a mass, pile
Of worthless meat, blood.

'Even God rejects them
When filthy, have bled…'
He said with fallacies
As parts of good logic…

I felt like grenade
With a pulled trigger.

Tried to find right way
To oppose, find my way:
'Patriarch, old fashioned,
Illiterate, lacks knowledge.'

Studied, read, too long,
Many days, many nights,
And with it I could find,
Went above his, my mind!

Remembered one of days,
I was child, around seven,
To my aunt went as guest.

Next morning, for working
In our shop, grocery
Walked by Rakht-shoor-khaneh.
(Means house of laundry.)

There ran a stream,
Or river in between…

In creek were trees,
Mostly old, tall, and rich.

Curious as young boy,
Studied most of trunks,
Till I saw what chiseled,
My brain, carved in heart!

Saw newborn fetus,
Dead and left, floating,
With many intestines…

Now, grown, see the cause!

Genocide, was murdered,
Because was unwanted,
For some unknow reason.

It could be poverty,
Having sex, illegal,
Family's inner fight.

Or woman was tired
Of being some flesh,
Used only as mattress!