SEPTEMBER 1978

The last time I saw you

Was across six traffic streams

That jammed Pahlavi Boulevard

In the early morning rush.

You called for a taxi –

One of those multi-hire insects

That scrabbled through the streets

Of old Tehran

For a few rials a time.

You were still so beautiful

That you took my breath away,

And four cabs veered

Across those haphazard lanes

To claim your fare

And share their space with you.

For a split second I was up to pursuit,

Ready to catch you and make my plea -

Argue my case again and win your verdict –

Anything to be part of your world again.

Yet you did not see me.

You were flustered, in a hurry:

You looked angry and intense.

If only you had been relaxed

With evident moments to spare.

Then you might have seen me;

And my longing look

Might have brought forth that smile –

Perhaps even a wave or more.

And, if you had but smiled at me,

I would not have had the willpower

To set you free again … ever.