PURGATORY AND PARADISE

I have descended
from paradise
to purgatory,
to purify my soul
from bondage of space,
to cleanse my spirit
from sediments of time,
to rekindle the yearnings
of youth
for unfettered freedom.

But I carry
in my body baggage
the carnal desires
that weigh me down,
that darken the days,
and lighten the nights
with dreams of fulfillment.
Will purgatory
purify my vision
to see the peak of
the paradise within,
or blunt my senses
of communion?

Majid Tehranian
Cambridge, MA
September 6, 1995