Five poems from prison
On September 7 2011, the police arrested the poet Alireza Roshan, who was accused of being part of a nonconformist minority group named “Gonabadi”. He was convicted on the basis of Article 610 of the Islamic Penal Code: “Incitement and collusion with intent to disrupt national security” and is still incarcerated at the Evin prison. He has written five poems for PEN/Opp.
(1)
From your eye that you are captive Dervish
A world is imprisoned and you are free
The truth is:
The bird is shot in the sky
The poet is more poet in the cage
(2)
Blood should be in vessels
Not in jars
Not on the pavement
(3)
They frighten the wind with jail,
Me with loneliness
With you
No confinement
Is solitary
(4)
We rhyme
We
Cannot live,
We rhyme
(5)
Prison door
Opened
To welcome another prisoner
