Justice
By Jehangir Saleh
Written: January 9, 2005
perhaps justice
does not exist
in heated courtroom battles
or piles of legal manuscript
rather
in the once betrayed
tear of understanding
that victoriously stains
a young face
when a raised
firmly clenched fist
becomes a symbol of
unity, brotherhood, equality
not a weapon
for deepening
wounds
when we take
the young fist
pry it open, gently
and raise it high
with our own
only then,
will we have done justice
There Is More In This World Than Can Be Dreamt In Your Philosophy
By Jehangir Saleh
Written: December 30, 2004
Where have you been
Hiding again, you say you feel a peace
Under you bed, in the corner of your basement
Reading Anasis Nin
Who is living your life for you
And I with my Leonard Cohen
(yes, I think they would have sex, but I don’t think it would last)
unable to sleep
believing a have the answers
sometimes, you manipulate your fears
so many times
that they become what you preach
and am I saying that I am wrong?
No
I am writing to say we both are
You, with your Anasis, me with my Leonard
Puppetry and fakery
Understanding more than the average moron
But ultimately
Still wrong
And if this poem makes you sad
You are sorely missing the point
Our lives are like Zeno’s paradox and the wind full of falling autumn leaves:
We will reach the end, the deep cool earth, but never able to explain how we got there
Ultimately separate
Each leaf falling alone
Longing, Queer And Incomplete
By Jehangir Saleh
Written: December 28, 2004
I miss you
But only the parts
made of me
in this way
we become
real
to each other
still
I’d rather you be here
Than to be writing
Alone again
Forcing A Poem
By Jehangir Saleh
Written: December 8, 2004
You believe
That tomorrow
We will find something
That answers the question
“Who am I?”
I believe
That who we are
Is a poem or a story
That we write, and re-write
Until the end of time
Our story
Like everyone’s story
Our book
Like all the books
About someone, somewhere
Trying to find the answer
To something
And ultimately
Realizing it was always with them
In the book on their shelf
The story of their grandmother
Footprints in the snow
Falling
The delicate crystals of ice
Falling toward the same ground
Tonight you are sad
But I’ll tell you a story
And tomorrow
You will know who you are
Subway Poem Song
By Jehangir Saleh
Written: November 30, 2004
It was like
The answer to all our
Questions
on voice in the air
but no one stopped
as the subway musician sang
Hallelujah
And what if I told you
That everything
You are searching for
I already found?
You would kiss me
To silence
And keep on searching
For yourself
Circles
By: Jehangir Saleh
Written: November 17, 2004
I am trying to take a poem
On the subway
Not out of any sense of art
But there is something I want to figure out
Those two roads are equal
But one carries regret
Which, unfortunately, is the one most travelled
Love is a predictable need
Yet I find myself
Wanting to come
To you
Of course I am scared
Conflicted, that maybe we
Are making our way down the wrong road
But as I write this
On the subway
Falling asleep
Realizing
That if I fail
I would rather it be
With you
Poem For A Night And A Nation
By Jehangir Saleh
Written: November 12, 2004
Though we are made hard
And I believe that there is no hope
Let me sit and listen to voices
That say they are wise
And tell me to believe
If you read this poem and you think
It is a bad poem
You’re probably right
If it were a poem
But it is a cure
Tonight is thick black silence
And the world is full of terrible things
Most of them already inside
There is nothing to do but wait
And not resist
I believe that one day the sun will rise
And followers like me will feel redeemed
But until that day comes
There is not possible world like this one
There is not man a brave as me
For a sit here
Writing a poem
Knowing I will die
And still writing
How many can say as much
Poem For L
By Jehangir Saleh
Written: July 30, 2004
I miss you
like my warm blue blanket
that i was held in as a child
your arms are goodness and comfort
because they hold me, just enough
so i can see my toes touch the ground
i miss you
like the poetry of Leonard C.,
and Brahms, and a perfect cup of tea
I miss you
and I love you
and I pray
that you
miss me too
Lives
By Jehangir Saleh
Written: June 1, 2004
Having trouble composing my life
To fit with yours
Lives
That fit together
I can’t promise that you really love me
Our lives kind of fit together
Stories are just good
The simple story of a woman and a man
Like everyone
One in the morning, I am trying to be poetic. But no luck. Nothing. And not even Beckett’s nothing, just nothing like vast amount of mediocrities, which is the worse nothing of all.
I am writing this because I don’t have you with me. I am listening to Russian classical music, as Tchaikovsky pours down piano keys , I think of how to do the same with words. What to do when words cannot be reached. There is touch. And I wish to hold you in my arms. Perhaps, it is me who is being held.
I was trying to write something to give you on your birthday. I don’t really believe in birthdays – it seems too much like an excuse to love someone. I want to love you forever, not just on the day you were born. However, the day that you embraced the world is an important one.
On this day I want you to look ahead. I want you to stand on this mountain – our mountain – and close your eyes for a moment. I want you to imagine
Ode To Chininski
By Jehangir Saleh
Written: February 21, 2004
not feeling very well
as a ride home on the subway
listening to that cry baby Peter Tchaikovsky
and trying my damn
hardest to write something that didn’t smell
it’s a wonderfully fucked up feeling
having something – everything – playing
the drum kit inside of you
and no means
to release the sound
and i wanted to murderously engaged
in sexual intercourse
or break things of beauty
like roses
(which are bloody red over rated anyway)
i have decided to write this to you
while drumming madly on my desk
so i might remind myself
that the noose in the corner is not
so empty
and that tomorrow
might be a
brighter day