Quintessential Questions

I see Anahid...

well, I'll take your word for it. But if you don't want to converse with Rosie (as you noticed, I don't either), it's much easier than that. You control that 100%.

Shepesh, it's over. Let it go.

here’s an old saying from

here’s an old saying from Abraham Lincoln. 

Anahid, what "editing"? These are blogs!

That reasoning is interesting, I hadn't thought of it. Was Javid "editing" your poems?

Well, seriously though, if you think this some kind of punishment for him (that's how it sounds like), I think you don't know Javid very well.

He really couldn't care less.

Q, this is funny:"That's probably 2 below average for ..."

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Anahid, this is the blog you'e talking about

where you say I said terrible things about Jahanshah. Now I asked you read up the thread from the beginning when you said that to me before. I thought you did. Here's the thread:

//iranian.com/main/blog/sargord-pirouz/pro-zionist-ads-iranian-com

Call Mina.

Anahid, what's the big deal?

I still don't get what you deleted everything from your account and from Mitra Northcal personality. So, Rosie figured out you had 2 accounts and called you on it. So what? You are open about that now. That's probably 2 below average for average outspoken IC people.

Thanks MM, you are another valued and dear friend from IC.

MM is one of the nicest guys on IC. He and David ET have my utmost respect with their work for International Iranian Council (IIC). Ramin Tork also is instrumental for IIC. By the way guys, next time there is an important demonstration, we don't want "Mojahedin khalgh" be the prominent force. We need to mobiize. even if it means that we fly to where the demonstration is, I believe that IIC needs to do that to put others on notice that there are forces working for betterment of Iran who do not have negative  background that Mojahedin have. If you agree with me, let's work on this idea. I don't know when is the next major demonstration but IIC has forces in all European countries and US so we can mobilize if we put our energy into it. Thanks MM for your support on IC and thanks for all your work for achieving freedom in Iran.

ps Anahid,

how can you say Jahanshah lets me libel you when all I said on Mouse's thread boiled down to this (now calm down and read this carefully):

I said that you complained about many people onsite for a year for not using their real names. And that you accused many,people onsite of having double ID's. When all the time you were using two ID's.

Have you read that carefully? Do you understand that it's true?

Good. Now please pay attention again. Yesterday you wrote a blog about how you were both Anahid and Mitra. But you didn't apologize about it. You said it was a good thing.

Have you read that carefully? Do you understand that it's true?

Good. So how can you say that I defamed you and you're suing him and me for libel, if what I said about you was true and you wrote a blog about it?

Please, Anahid, tell me what I said that wasn't true. Or better yet, ex out your posts and I'll ex out mine and then please do what I asked you to do.

یکی از بهترین اشعار آناهید، به نظر من.

روزی در ایرانی بهتر , کشور , آزاد و آباد خواهد بود

همه هموطن , چه خندان و چه دلشاد خواهد بود

هرجوانی بر سر این و آن کار خواهد بود

نه که مورد خشم بیجا و آزار خواهد بود

مادر از عشق فرزند همی شاد خواهد بود

برادر از جامهً خواهر بی ایراد خواهد بود

خواهد آمد عکسی از وطن , قشنگ , نه از میمون خواهد بود

یا که ازین هم بدتر , تصویری از دختری در بستر خون خواهد بود

صدا خواهد آمد , صدایی از غلغله از شادمانی خواهد بود

نه آنکه هر صدایی , ناله ای از ظلم یا از گرانی خواهد بود

در این فردا ، ريیس جمهور با مردم , محتر م , بسی انسان خواهد بود

نه که روز و شب فکر کشتار آنان در این میدان و آن میدان خواهد بود

در آن روز زیبا , برازنده , مهاجر راهی ایران خواهد بود

نه که نام ایران یاد آور مرگ یا مساوی با زندان خواهد بود

مسلمان با مسیحی , زرتشتی , کلیمی , بهایی , با کافر مهربان خواهد بود

کران تا کران , بشنو از این جوان و از آن جوان , که هر جان شکوفان خواهد بود

Anahid, now you're a very kindhearted and sensitive person,

so if you would please just stop for a moment and breathe, and step back and reread this blog and the thread, you will realize that you forgot to thank Q for the blog. And that he cares about you and you may have hurt his feelings and that you're making him and Souri and other people worry about you. And then you will realize that you're not thinking clearly. And then do what I've asked you to do at least ten times since yesterday morning.

That's lovely, Q.

Yes, Souri, it's true. Q is a person of very good will. Very compassionate and caring. You and he were among the few people who were there for me in the summer of last year when I needed someone. Mina was there for me too.

Anahid, this is heartbreaking. Please call Mina.

ps Sherhaaye to kheili zibaa hastand. Mesle hamishe.

Poetry and me (5) - Lessons Learned -- 05-Sep-2010

In May of 2009, I started a series of blogs titled "Poetry and Me". There are four (4) of these blogs and the last one was in November 2009. I thought now that I have written many more poems, it might be a good time to look into some of the lessons that I have learned by writing poetry. Here are some:

1. Even though many of my poems are written in Modern style but sometimes it is good practice to try to write in classic style poetry which has to be more musical. In order for one to make a poem more musical, it is necessary to think of many different words. A poet does well when he/she can come up with words which not only help musicality of the poem, but also introduce either new concepts or add to the imaginative aspect of the poem. Then even if one does not want to keep the poem in classical style, the new idea that brought more musicality to poem written in classical style can be kept with slight modification when poem is changed back to new style. An example is my recent rewrite of a poem. In this rewrite, I came up with the following:
شعری هستی از شررم , داستانی از غمم
ترا ابتدا خواهم ,که شاید پرواز دهم از لبمNow even if I decide to go back to Free style, I can keep the concept that writing an unfinished poem is like freeing a bird. The only catch is that some modification may be necessary otherwise the expression which worked in classical style may be ill-fitting for modern style of Persian poetry.

2. I have become a lot more interested in different ways that one can come up with poems. One great way is to just walk and write lines based on what attracts attention of the poet. Later poet can delete the lines that don't contribute to the message and/or beauty of the poem. I also learned that when you walk, if you record what you see and later write a poem about scenes that you have observed, it is as if you are taking pictures with your poetry. Images that I saw weeks ago as I was walking in downtown Palo Alto; including the girl with short white dress and the woman who looked old and tired, and many more images have stayed with me and probably will stay for long time. Simply because once these images became a poem, it was as if a photograph of them was taken, albeit with differences from regular photographs.

3. At least for me, some of the best times to write poetry is when I just wake up since I am still not totally awake and it seems that in this stage, it is easier to write poetry. However, sometimes, I do have to go back and make editions in poems written in this situation since some weird ideas can also be present.

4. I can only write poetry if I have something to say or if someone is asking us writers on IC to write about a subject. I cannot tell myself that today I want to write about prison. However, if I am outside and feel the breeze and see the moon, I get reminded of those in prison who can’t have these simple pleasures and then I become inspired to write a poem about it. Alternately, if "Nazy Kaviani", for instance, asks writers on IC to write about all those in prison, then that can incite me to do so. I believe the reason I can write when there is such a call for papers on IC, is that from very first grades, we have all been used to writing essays so this has become second nature to us. This brings me to the fact that few of my writer freinds have noted and I have read in articles that one should set aside time to write and after a while writing in this style will become easier. Let's say this is another instance of "Build it and they will come", they here refers to inspirations for poems and ultimately the actual poems.

5. Some good poems can be written when one is outraged or simply angry. Style and language of these kind of poems will be different than normal style of the poet which in turn will give this category of poems a freshness.

6. One dilemma that I have is whether presenyly I should be reading more Persian poetry and also books about poetry. On one hand, I am sure I will learn a lot. However, I do have two concerns:

A). I am afraid my language and ideas will be affected by poems that I read and they will not be original. A friend of mine stated that the answer to this concern of mine can be to read from many different poets.B). Another reason for me not hurrying to read all Persian poetry books that I can get my hands on is the fact that it is also fun to discover techniques about poetry by experimenting rather than reading about it in books. On the other hand, if it takes me months to come up with couple new techniques for writing poetry, it is easy to assume that by reading books about poetry, the process will be expedited.

Above lessons are few of what I have learned by writing more poems. Maybe some of other poets on IC want to contribute their lessons learned.

I had bookmarked some of Anahid's blogs

to come back and read later. In the other thread she just said, she is deleting all Mitra Norcal's blogs. But all hers are gone too.

I can post a few as I find them.

Thank you Q

I'd liked this poem very much but I had missed the opportunity to let Anahid knowing that I had appreciated it. Thanks for having posted it again.

Also, I admire your good will.

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