from afar

when i think of iran, there comes back to me a void.
a separation.

a place of endless beauty, yet no hope.
so much of it senseless.
one mistake after another
that has burned the lives of millions
for over four decades. but the land had not had relief,
even before that.

i am not there.
i am only there in memory —
once as a child, once as a teenager,
and then only through the memories of others.
now my connection is through the intricate cuisine.

i lost a friend there.
i don't know where she is now.

i have family there. worry persists.

i don't claim any solution without tradeoff.
it's not my place.
i don't blame others for their passions.
any solution leaves scars.

but i know it cannot stay like this.

a population that loses all hope is not sustained.

so i dream of better days,
from comfort,
ten thousand miles away.