Ars poetica (Art of poetry)
A poem by Farideh Hassanzadeh

Ars poetica (Art of poetry)

Politicians, when speaking of peace
I remember the bloody flags,
the tombs of the unknown soldiers
and the rain of falling bombs.
Even when they speak of liberty
I see the darkness of solitary cells
and I hear the howls of prisoners.

But when a poet speaks of his dreams
for peace and liberty
I imagine a man, making love,
his eyelids closed,
his shoulders shining with dews,
and his heart beating so ardently
as the heart of a bird
who knows how to sing in a cage
to invite the other birds
from the far frosts
lost in the everlasting fogs.

About the Author:

Farideh Hassanzadeh is an Iranian poet, translator and anthologist. Her poems appear in the anthologies: Letters to the World(U.S.A), Contemporary Women Poets of Iran, Anthology of Best Women Poets, After Shocks(U.S.A) ,the World  Best Love Poems (India), Choice Words: Writers on Abortion(U.S.A), Heartbeat: Poems of Family and Hometown(Canada)and an anthology of environment in India.
She was nominated for the Pushcart Award for the poem:” in answer to my daughter, why did you give birth to me”
She is the author of Eternal Voices: Interviews with Poets East and West and The Last Night with Sylvia Plath: Essays on Poetry. In addition, she has translated poems by great international poets, which are published in more than 17 anthologies.

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