To Kazan Poem by Nassy Fesharaki

To Kazan

He, a sort of friend
Asked me for a favor:
"Go, visit my ex-girl."

They had met in Khojand
Then became worlds apart.

He went back to Tehran,
She returned to Kazan.

We had met in Khojand
City of old Persia,
That is now Tajikistan,
Central Asia…

The why of being there
Is a tale by itself.

He wanted stones, rocks
And I read between the lines.

He, Michal Angelo
I, Khayyam, vase, and wine.

I read books, noting down
The heroes, their rise, fall.

He went back to Iran,
I headed for Russia.

He had found a girlfriend
With the blood of Tatar.

I found that the past wealth
Showed rulers causing pain.

Having left the mullahs
In Iran, and Afghans
I had a long beard
Decided not to shave
Till I am out of there.

Did not know its dangers
Though warned me a leader.

Rahmonov, communist
Won his seat with tricks!

He shook hands with Noori
Then opened gates of jails
And freed the criminals!

The latter attacked, robbed
And marched with slogans.

Kremlin of Moscow
Sent support for Rahman:
"Tighten the noose around
The necks of the liberals."

I swam in the depths
To find the well trained,
He spent time with a girl,
She, Tatar, was a trickster.

Months after we had left
He called with a request:
"Can you go to Kazan? "

His ex-girl had written
Of having given birth
To a son, they had made.

I hurried, bought a ticket,
Got me a seat on the train.

With me was Irina,
Aware of that area.

Changed train in Moscow
And headed for Kazan…

Being an extrovert,
I joined a team of men.


Lovely are the Russians
While drinking vodka.

Look at this proverb,
Explains their culture:
"There is no ugly girl,
Vodka bears the blame,
Not enough, it is little! "

The team was a mixture
Of the old and younger
Men from everywhere.

One marine officer
Talked about soviets
In times of presidents
Before the Gorbachev:
"We went to the USA! "

Retired officer
Hated the president:
"This chicken is a shame."

Soon there was a chorus
Made from the soldiers,
They missed old Soviets.

Saw Putin as chicken
And as mole, tumor!

They adored Stalin,
Khrushchev, Brezhnev,
Saw Putin, instead,
As a hated worthless.

We made it to Kazan,
Half sober, half-drunk,
In the city went around.

Used bullets on the water,
Went and house of the girl
And asked her to see the son.

What we heard from her
Was nothing but fiction.

She told us of the boy
Having gone to school.

I told her how I would
Support the little kid
If he comes, I can see.

With her words entangled,
Irina, my guide girl
Looked at her with anger.

Now, after twenty years
And the war in Ukraine
I picture the gone days,
Of Kazan and the train.

Yes, Putin is too mean,
But for reasons I see,
He became what he is,
The source of bloodshed
And a criminal, murderer!

Politicians, media,
Are either dumb or lie
To grow hate in us.

Sure, Putin is Evil
With Biden as a twin.

Joe planned and tried
To regain position
Of the NATO leader
To add to the arms sales.

Open books of exports
Managed by Washington
Mulled by the Pentagon.

Find leeches, vampire! ! !