For the Grief of the Harbor

 

(A Poetic Re-creation by Arsalan Mohammadi)

A strange sorrow
wanders through the city,
and death
has made a home
in every crack of the wall.

You said—
it was not just
for doubt to suffocate the blossom
in a spring
once again
dressed in mourning.

You said—
it has become so hard
to let the heart
trust the tune of a melody
that once danced
through drunken alleyways,
or to wash sorrow
from the canvas of the soul
with the gentle stroke of a brush,
and paint it
with the hue
of a poppy's petal.

You said—
it's too hard now
to wear new garments,
to let the flame's blush
return
to your cheek
and mine.

But surely—
it is still possible:
to dance again
without fear,
to breathe in the scent
of a red rose,
to laugh—
and to repaint
this dark fate
in another color.

No doubt—
it is still possible.

Arsalan – Tehran
April 28, 2025