MOTHER

Regal,
despite her tattered pride.
Gentle,
despite her rough roads.
Serene,
despite her pounding pains.

I remember
her formidable faith
in that angelic
voice
chanting
the Koranic verses
awakening us
to a new day.

She was
a true princess,
in lineage
and
in deed.

I hear her now
singing
to her children.

Majid Tehranian
Honolulu, Hawaii
April 30, 1993