QUOTIENT

In the quotient of quiet granted
To the deep hours of a winter morn,
There's a continual hum
That scars the calloused cold
And cuts the tender dark.
And you can hear the occasional rumble
Of a train, with its jarring warning horn.

Somewhere in the distance
A siren screams escape
And, closer, a black dog begins to bark.
But sly sleep brings its sleek deliverance
And ferries the fragile dreamer away
To places you can't get to
In the leering light of day.

LOSER

I never once threatened the world order.
I was far too shy and inclined to mumble.
I never ever pulled at Atlas’ sturdy ankles
To see if I had the strength to make him stumble.

Yet I was earnest and committed enough
To make some progress at doing some good
While I provided adequately for all my own
Because I felt the cold state never should.

Then those pathetic putrid looters
Came up behind me to bully, ambush and bash –
Callous bulls in a fragile china shop
Plundering nothing less than someone else's cash.

All my years of work and all my days of faith
Counted nil, indeed much less if it be fully known,
And hateful hyenas picked my carcass dry
Then they let sun and rain and wind grind each bone.

So now I recline here rendered dormant,
Never again to dare, never again to choose,
Wondering if it feels in any way better
To lose when you have much more to lose.

FAW 2009 NATIONAL LITERARY AWARDS

The Fellowship of Australian Writers recently held its annual presentation of National Literary Awards at its Melbourne headquarters.

David Morisset's poem, "Persian Princess", was 'Commended' in the John Shaw Neilson Poetry Award (sponsored by Melbourne's Collective Works Bookshop).

The poem was based on a pivotal passage in David Morisset's novel set in Iran at the time of the Islamic Revolution.

TURQUOISE & GOLD

‘Turquoise & Gold’ presents a series of poems inspired by David Morisset's memories of pre-revolutionary Iran.

It is available via Amazon and also at the following bookstores:

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

David Morisset’s ‘Dreams, Schemes & Teams' is a collection of short stories that takes the reader on a journey from the eucalypt dotted fields of eastern Australia to the stark but majestic mountains of northern Iran. It is available via Amazon and also at the following bookstores:

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

...

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