Monday, November 28, 2016

For Liv

The Story of the Man Who Didn't Have Dirt to Bury His Lion
~ Ali Karbasi, from I Am A Face Sympathizing With Your Grief

the lion who
looked after me
for years
looked after me in his free time
looked after me in the forest
slept by my head at night
the lion whose mane
I blow-dried
in the evening
the lion who
made me loveable by
and for ...

my lion
died of wounds
that would never heal

"Ah," loudly he said
with a smile
narrow like an Indian's
"Goodbye my friend
Goodbye"
and then
died
and then I
tried to
throw some dirt
on my dead lion's body
tried to
keep a fire alight
at his grave
for a while
tried to plant a few flowers at least
but
there was no fire
there was no flower
and no dirt
there was nothing there
because my lion was dead


*


I Am A Face Sympathizing With Your Grief, Seven Younger Iranian Poets 
Edited and Translated by Alireza Taheri Araghi

*

this book is incredible

5 Comments:

Blogger liv said...

Thank you. It was hard to get up today, alone in the house. Thank you x

November 28, 2016 at 9:56 AM  
Blogger Radish King said...

Oh Liv I so understand this rare pain. Terrible and it never really passes. Our Animal Gods live on inside us.
Love

November 28, 2016 at 10:27 AM  
Blogger Marylinn Kelly said...

It is a strong and beautiful poem. I can imagine the rest of the book and I will save this for friends who will need it one day. My condolences to Liz for a loss so big. xo

November 29, 2016 at 1:45 PM  
Blogger Marylinn Kelly said...

I am sorry, clumsy fingers. Liv, not Liz.

November 29, 2016 at 1:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've read this about a dozen times here and it keeps grabbing my heart. Just ordered the book. Thank you.
Xoxo
Barbara

November 29, 2016 at 4:53 PM  

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