30 KHORDAD 1388*

A voice says, “Cry.” And I said, “What shall I cry?”
(Isaiah 40 : 6)

Thick black hair pulled primly back,
Almond eyes dark like charcoal,
Olive skin recalling velvet.
Then the rush of red
And the cries of her companions.
Oh … those cries!
Before we wept with them.

She looked like the Persian girls,
Who graced our offices,
And worked with us
So they could learn English.
Yet somehow they taught us
About their courteous country
Before we realised.

They were blessed by curious energy,
Smiles brimming over with goodwill,
Laughter like music in their voices,
Calling each other ‘joon’.
Perhaps members of her family
Breezed through our peripheral vision
Before we went home again.

We were all so young then,
Living in 1970s Tehran
At a time when we heard
Its people knocking noisily
On the doors marked ‘freedom’,
Seemingly prised open,
Before once more slammed shut.

They’re still knocking.
We can hear them in cyberspace.
Now they’re calling us with pictures:
A voice too loud to ignore today.

* On this day (20 June 2009) a young Iranian was murdered by a Basij sniper in Tehran. Videos of her terrible death screened on internet sites all over a justly horrified world. Her name was reported as Neda, meaning ‘voice,’ or ‘call’, or ‘cry’.

...........

TURQUOISE & GOLD

A new collection of poems inspired by David Morisset's experiences in pre-revolutionary Iran, as well as some of the situations explored in his novel, is now available. The poems were written to compliment Iran and its people and in the hope that Iranians of the diaspora might find some solace in an Australian’s fond memories of their homeland. One recalls Shiraz with its imagery of roses, wine and poets. An Iranian friend labelled these verses “intoxicating”. Enough said.


To purchase a copy, simply go to www.amazon.com and initiate a search using the book title or the author's name, then follow the straightforward prompts to place an order.

The collection is also available via CreateSpace at www.createspace.com/3359626

In addition, copies can be obtained at the following book shops:

Ketab Corporation Bookstore
1419 Westwood Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90024 USA
http://shopping.ketab.com

Ketabsara Bookstore
1441B Westwood Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90024 USA

DREAMS, SCHEMES & TEAMS

'Dreams, Schemes & Teams' surveys the searing pain of lost love, the precious delight of new love, the fierce ambitions of youth, and the delicious absurdity of dreams. All of the stories are seasoned with a pinch or two of satire and laced with skepticism. The narratives take the reader on a geographical journey from the playing fields of semi-rural eastern Australia to the majestic mountains of northern Iran. The stories also travel across time - embarking from a quietly content Australia in the 1960s, visiting a politically fragile Iran in the 1970s, and finally arriving at an eerily plausible Sydney in 2052. The most romantic piece is without a doubt 'The Road to Chalus' - a road story about a young couple making the spectacular drive over the soaring Alborz mountains to the lush Caspian Sea coast of northern Iran in the white hot political climate of the northern summer of 1978.

The collection can be purchased through Amazon at www.amazon.com - simply search via the book’s title or via my name as author.

It is also available through CreateSpace at https://www.createspace.com/335393

In addition, copies can be obtained at the following book shops:

Ketab Corporation Bookstore
1419 Westwood Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90024 USA
http://shopping.ketab.com

Ketabsara Bookstore
1441B Westwood Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90024 USA