Song of Tehran, Rejoicing, Part 3

Greetings:

Here is the final part of my poem; my own favoritesection is the footnote!

Song of Tehran, Rejoicing

This song will end, with rejoicing,
as desires, not covered and poverty, embattled while unfelt.
Education sought. Enlightenment explored.
Joyful gatherings exchanged. And the food, glorious food.*1

Sing the phases of the day. And amongs it all I [re]trod Tehran's present cross-roads to Mehrabad International.
Overwhelmed with foot, relatives, geography, history, current events, joy, And finally you, Husband to whom I dedicate this song, Saeid, rejoicing.


*1. Break of day/6:30AM: Melita-brewed coffee, filter & coffee traveled from the States.

Breakfast/ 8AM: Sugared tea, feta cheese, barbari, nutella.

Lunch/2PM: Horesht Badamjun, rice with tadik, vegetable, Coca Cola, water, doorgh, sugared tea.

Dinner/10PM: Gormeh Sabsi, rice with takik, vegetable, Coca Cola, water, doorgh, sugared tea.

Guests' Meal/Anytime between 3-11PM: banana, apple, cucumber, kiwi, pastry, candies, sugared tea.

Please feel free to send your own poems by clicking on comments below or send them to Mama's email address & she'll post them for you.

Your friend, M2

Song of Tehran, Rejoicing Part 1

My dear friends & fans, Mama et Papa have not yet seen fit to travel with me to Iran, and yet I feel I know that country as I would a distant, but precious cousin. Thus I've written a poem to share with you. Part 1 concerns Tehran. Part 2 skims Ahvaz, Brougherd, Doorood and the mountains along the western boarder. Part 3 explores my family and the food I know they'd serve me-- if they had the chance to do so. So please relax and enjoy this arm chair traveler's tribute to Iran. And note that two of the photos above were shot by my friend in Tehran, Soban, whose erudite blog, Culture & Communication, I urge you to visit.

Song of Tehran, Rejoicing
part 1

May 2005, 3 weeks before Iran's national elections.
Among protests and international nuclear oversight, stand amongst it all, The Carpet Museum,
The Museum of Contemporary Arts. Overwhelmed by happiness as I trod ancient
cross-roads,
I meet 100 close relatives, visit tourist sites and also rejoice.

Tehran. Decorated with fresh flowers
With neon sculptures in each [round] square
Tehran's symphony blares cars, cycles, messenger bikes and voices, belching smog.
One longer line for 1 loaf of sangack, a shorter one, two or more.
North Tehran in early evening cools the heat of a day's frenetic work.
Students gather relaxed, eating cooked beans and cherries, chatting amongst themselves,
sequestered from grownups' ears & eyes, boys & girls, boys with girls.

Another northern neighborhood, each apartment a penthouse. Smelling of roses,
Chanel and beckoning everyone.

Bibi [bakery] marks a central location where girls & boys walk to school and later,
run home.


Please revisit my blog soon to discover my impressions of other areas & imagined experiences in Iran, to meet those 100+ relatives, and to enjoy arm-chair traveling with me.

Yours, M²

Silk & Denim: Ends of the Earth

Kashan Persian Carpet
Wilber, Nebraska rug

Qom Persian carpet
Wilber, Nebraska rug

There are times when a Dog must open her heart & mind to the wonders & ingenuity of human aesthetic endeavors. Today's topic, rugs, exemplifies extreme opposites on several levels: geograhpic, high art & folk art, specialized & common labor and perhaps you will note others.

Previously I discussed Persian carpets & showed pictures of wool rugs. Today I shall show you silk Persian carpets side by side with a contemporary denim rug from Nebraska.

Above are two gorgeousl silk rugs with pictures showing both front & back. Notice how the intricate design is clear on both sides, each side special in its own way. Each carpet design is particular to its region or city. The red silk above is from the holy city of Qom; the light colored, from Khashan.

And if only you could feel the carpets: although silk, they feel like velvet! To learn more about Persian carpets & to see many examples, follow this link:

http://tehran.stanford.edu/Images/Persian_Carpet/carpet_history.html

The other 2 photos show me sitting on a denim rug made in & imported from Nebraska. To this day, Nebraska is still in part a farm state & independent farmers use every resource available in their effort to remain efficacious in the face of encroaching agribusiness. So, for example, when a farmer's jeans finally wear out, they're certainly not thrown out. To the contrary they become the material from which this rug is fashioned.

This particular rug was crafted in Wilber, Nebraska, home of the largest Czech population in the United States. To learn more about Wilber & its rich heritage click this link:

http://www.ci.wilber.ne.us/

I hope you've enjoyed this small display of rugs from different ends of the earth. A demain, Mercury.