The Beginning of Always
As the world passes through us there remains the image of our stay and we see ourselves and the world migrating through a passage that passes through us
Before gazing at you, I, too, was entirely the desire of gazing at you..48
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Yard Sale
The gun that is pointed at the children in the zoo the exciting speech of Charlton the President of National Rifle Association a little bit of rain a little bit of clouds and wet grass “nothing’s final no one sees the end” (Wallace Stevens) a couple of old coverless books a bagful of dried useless ball-pens a vagrant poet the sunset in spring trees shed bodies of squirrels high flying swallows under the ceiling the tat tat tat of our fellow Toucan magical digital camera Walt Whitman’s grate Indian teepees cowboy hat and boots male plant pollen (this year’s, of course) Viagra and condoms Octavio Paz’s poetry as “secret religion” Falkner’s The Sound and the Fury just for a penny sports toys the outraged George Wallace poster GW chewing gum Abraham Lincoln’s Ford Theatre bloody ticket in his pocket the blue cages of Vietnam war, the Russian Roulette, Dr. MASH suture tread forest vegetation roots swamp hospital Monica’s lingerie Elian Gonzles’ plastic rifle We sell trash to the world to make a fortune
On the veranda, I smoke cigar with Fidel.
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Yard Sale
( ) « » ( ) GW Dr.MASH WE SELL TRASH TO THE WORLD TO MAKE A FORTUNE
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Address (in exile)
New skies the exiles find but the heart remains the same. Horace: Epistles
Do you want my permanent address? My permanent address is vagrancy Has vagrancy an address? Does vagrancy need an address? Need vagrancy be permanent?
Let me ask my neighbour Harriet my permanent address But no one opens the door or the window Excuse me sir, lady, what is my permanent address?
In vain passers-by lack the moment to spare a free answer I look for it in my notes (where are my little notebooks?) I browse through my books and papers open my books of poetry
and search my pockets to find my permanent address I pick up the phone: Hello, Mina? Ida? Susie? Nima (Mike)? Siamak (Sam)? Hello Fati? Farshid? Bahman? Davood? Fahima? Sina? Nader? Monir? Hos- sein? Amir?
Ahhh... Iranians of Washington! Please leave me your message after the beep, thanks!
(! )
I’m be thankful and hang up
Perhaps someone far away knows my address I don’t know if for my long distance, I should choose MCI with its 20% off or
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New skies the exiles find but the heart remains the same. Horace: Epistles
! ! ( ) () () _ ... ! ! _ ! Please leave your message after the beep, thanks!
(! )
AT&T MCI
( )
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AT&T at 1-800-IMAGINE or our own Bell Atlantic that gives away a fifty-dol- lar bonus, or simply ask my address from the operator.
Hello, operator? Who am I? Where am I? What color is my skin? What race do I belong to? What faith do I believe in? What is my nationality? (I mean where am I origi- nally from?) What language do I speak? Where is my accent from? What is my address, please?
And I hang up to be on my way
Why does the vagrant hang up? Where is the vagrant led? Where does the vagrant go? Does vagrancy have a road?
Do you want my permanent address? Why do you need my permanent address? My permanent address is vagrancy Does vagrancy ever have an address? Does vagrancy ever need an address? Must vagrancy be permanent? I wanted to see you on my last night here to share my homeland with you Why did I want to see you on my last night here? To share my homeland with you?
I sit next to an Indian and a Bolivian Further down an Afghan and a Canadian are seated back to back And Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Turks, Bosnians and Mexicans all yawn I pause when they sing a stranger’s song Why do I pause when they sing a stranger’s song? And why do they need my address when they sing a stranger’s song?
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Bell Atlantic 1-800-IMAGINE .
--Hello, operator? Who am I? Where am I? What color is my skin? What race do I belong to? What faith do I believe in? What is my nationality? (I mean where am I originally from?) What language do I speak? Where is my accent from? What is my address, please?
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“Now we should pay more taxes,” says Marty. “We shouldn’t forget to vote,” says Bexi. “I’ve told everyone I’m not related to Saddam Hussein or Yasser Arafat,” says Ebrahim. Pam says, “Welcome to the melting pot.” “Not a melting pot, a salad bowl,” I reply. Carol just smiles and moves her big belly Ben signals to me to be quiet Why should I stay quiet? I want to renovate my house But it turns old once it is renovated and when it turns old I want to renovate it again And I loudly announce it (I can never stay quiet after all) I want to renovate my house Death to the aging and the old! Death to the Shah and Fuhrer and Patriarch and Wiseman! “So you say let’s go back to our fetal life,” says Jennie.
Do you still want my permanent address when I return to my fetal life? My permanent address is vagrancy Has vagrancy an address?
Does vagrancy ever need an address? Must vagrancy be permanent (even in fetal life...)?
translated from Persian by P.V.
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