Crows

Not far till love,

You talk,

I listen.

Outside, crows are rowdy.

I will remember you in autumn.

Yesterday,

I saw that pond,

And bent to look at

My image, by a dead tree.

Today,

I talk and I know

It is not far till love.

You listen and say:

Outside, the autumn is rowdy.

Here, even the sun’s whisper

Awakens the sorrow.

I cry beside the dead tree,

And bend

Alone, with my black hair in the water

Counting crows; 

One, two, …. a thousand.

Mina Dastgheib is an Iranian poet. She has published more than 14 collections so far. Her contemporary poems are very concise and enriched with strong social and political metaphors. Many of her poems convey a sad feeling; a reflection of the harsh life in a country with difficult conditions. Some of her work has received acclaim from critics and one of her collections was selected as the referee’s choice in the Seventh Festival of Persian Culture in Fars province.  

Mina used to teach Persian and English literature in high schools in Tehran and Shiraz. She is retired now and lives in her hometown of Shiraz. 

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