THE LOVE STORY OF CLOUD AND SEA

November 20, 2016

“Have you heard the love story
of the blue Cloud and Sea?
They were always together as one
until separated by the yellow Sun.
Cloud drifted into the sky slowly.
Sea cried until she became salty.
Cloud grew big enough to block Sun
but nothing could be done.
Sea became enraged and drowned everyone
but still nothing could be done.
Cloud’s heart ached and he became grey,
watching his beloved from far away.
He was too proud and tried to stop his tears
but they fell and fell for what felt like years.
Losing himself drop by drop, he became empty
and was once again reunited with his beloved Sea.”

Kamand Kojouri

LOVERS DREAM OF ONE MORE EMBRACE

November 20, 2016

“Lovers dream of one more embrace.
One more kiss.
One act of love, no matter how small.
For in loving, lover and beloved
emptied themselves.
Now,
they look for their oasis
like men engulfed in flames.
Even filled to the brim,
they will never satiate.
For they continue to leak, these
cracked vessels.
How else did love seep through?”

Kamand Kojouri

WE ALL WEAR MASKS

November 20, 2016

“We all wear masks
to veil the truth.
Truth is nakedness.
Truth is fear.
Truth is the gardener
making you sit on
his lap
asking you to
light his cigarette.
Truth is father—
with a limp cigarette on his lips
— telling you to never
use his matches
to light it for him.
Truth is father
yelling:
“It is not
nice for little girls
to do so.”
Truth is a curious girl
wanting to
ignite a match
like a woman.
Truth is the maid watching
from the kitchen,
knowing.
But knowing isn’t truth.
Truth is the maid calling:
“Come. Come.”
Truth is the gardener understanding.
But understanding isn’t truth.
Truth is the maid saying,
“Stay away!”
Truth is a girl thinking
she is in control.
That nothing happened,
nothing bad.
But the truest truth
is a girl knowing,
a girl understanding, that
on that day
someone stole
a little piece of her
truth.”

Kamand Kojouri

FOR ALL THESE STARS

November 20, 2016

“For all these stars,
nothing is new.
They’ve seen all kinds of wars
and miracles, too.

They know the messengers with their holy books
will smile and wash their hands in blood.
They know the politicians with their good looks
will make the poor eat pies of mud.

They’ve seen the Earth freeze
and then burn with greed.
They’ve seen the trees
and the seas emptied.

Yet, you won’t hear their sneers
when a man arrives
and, having experienced a number of years,
proclaims: ‘I have lived!’

Because nothing is new under these stars:
the lies, the love, the memories and scars,
the ruin, the revolution, the fakes and true,
the families, the friends, none of it is new.
All of it—even the me and you.”

Kamand Kojouri

YOU THINK YOU’VE MOVED ON

November 20, 2016

“You think that you’ve moved on.
That you’re happier
and now that you think about it —
you’re quite glad
that it didn’t work out
because you are free
and happy.
You’re so happy.
And it’s better this way.
“Here,
let me tell you my reasons,”
you say. “Let me explain
what I mean.”
After hours of telling
your neighbour and
the florist
and the girl on the bus,
you conclude:
“So, you see? I’m happier now.”
You tell the brokenhearted
your tale
and assure them
it’s for the best,
“So you see? It was meant to be.”
But my dear,
my foolish
hurting dear,
your ego is the bullet
left in the wound.
It’s this ego
that needs to explain itself
and justify the battle.
A true warrior
would be too busy
fighting to live.”

Kamand Kojouri

I DON’T KNOW WHY WE FIGHT

November 20, 2016

“I don’t know why we fight.
It takes much too effort to stay mad at you.
To dodge your skin in the hallway
and leave the kitchen without bringing you a treat.
It takes much too effort to stare at the sink
so my eyes don’t smile at you in the mirror.
It takes much too effort to look away as we undress
and lie apart in the now bigger bed.
It takes much too effort to stiffen my body
because sleepy limbs forget fights
and pride is always lost in dreams.
It takes much too effort to awaken every hour to make sure we are islands with a gulf of white sheets separating us.
I dread the light peeking through the parted curtains
and empathise with your groans —
I didn’t get any sleep either.
I really don’t know why we fight.
It takes much too effort to stay mad at one another
when it’s so easy for us to love.”

Kamand Kojouri