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  • God
  • Mahnaz Badihian (bio)

God was hangingUnder the tree branchesUnder the tresses of weeping willows

God was running in the plainsIn the desertsOn bare feet with ankles wrapped in fig leaves

God was limpingAcross the expanse of exileIn the streets of TehranWith an old cameraAnd a black hat like Che’s

God was escapingYesterday he was to hangFrom the moon’s crescentGuilty of telling lies

I saw God sitting quietly in one cornerI asked him what his religion wasHe didn’t replyUnclear what religion meantI asked him again, which tribe do you belong to?He said nothingGod was natureA nature that is beautiful and cruelSometimes kind, sometimes unforgiving [End Page 20]

Like the nature of oceansGod was quietAnd suddenly with one fingerToward the sun aboveAnd the earth belowHe pointed toward the atmosphere

God was looking at mePerhaps thinking I was a horseflyOr a demonOr a red roseI don’t knowGod was confused, confused

And I saw God was fearfulRunning on distant horizonsLike a terrifying meteorHe threw himself into a valleyAnd with a frightening lightTunneled deep into the ground [End Page 21]

Mahnaz Badihian

Mahnaz Badihian is a poet, painter, and translator whose work has been published in several languages worldwide. Her work has appeared in many literary magazines, including Exiled ink!, International Poetry Magazine, and Marin Poetry Center Anthology, among others. Currently she resides in northern California, where she runs an online multilingual literary magazine, MahMag.org, in an effort to bring the poetry of the world together. Her forthcoming project is a translation titled Spaldings Arise. She is an active member of Revolutionary Poets Brigade (rpb) of San Francisco. She has an ma in sociology and mfa in poetry.

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