The Ashes Wept From A Paste-Yellow Sky

The ashes wept from a paste-yellow sky
while flowing from the river of the heart
to the soul of the sea where the anguish tasted
bitter and dry in the mouths of a nation
that were hidden behind the veils of torment.

When I was five years old the supreme
interpreters informed us that a moon
of cheese shone forth with the face
of the Imam - not the smiling face
of the kind tales but the stern face
of the taskmaster who watched our every sin.

And Al´Lat¹ wept from her throne
in the underworld for they had turned
their backs upon the lion and the queen
who had knelt before the wisest of kings,
and Al´Lat wept seven times for to lift
up their power they had stepped
on the necks of those they proclaimed to save…

…when I was five years old…

…he watched my every move from the moon…

…when I was five years old…

…Al´Lat wept ashes from a paste-yellow sky…

¹ Pre-Islamic goddess of the moon and the underworld.