Silk Road Poem by Nassy Fesharaki

Dry as my lips
Land expanded miles and miles and miles
Behind the bars of my eyelashes
Eyes could not recognize, tear from smile

Mulberry trees
I knew are in tens, hundreds and thousands
Scattered, in single
As Dervish on path or shepherd-less flocks

Signs of kindness
Signs of donation, dedications and hospitality
Signs of life, love
Signs of ancient cultures in sharing humanity

That was Silk Road
A passage to my inheritance from the fathers
Fathers, of fathers
Playhouse to children; hardworking mothers

For men and birds
Berries; the leaves for silkworms, butterflies
Cutting air, wings.
Donated water-wells and cisterns; multiplies

Livelihood in wild
That was Silk Road where the mulberry, silk
Deeply intertwined
Meant coexistence; meat-eating cub has milk

Steam/jet engines
These strange newcomers to unity, humanity
The new practice
To travels, practical-separators of community

Murdered
Silk-Road