"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." - Henry Miller

See the world in green and blue

See China right in front of you

See the canyons broken by cloud

See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out

See the Bedouin fires at night

See the oil fields at first light

And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth

After the flood all the colors came out

-Beautiful Day, U2

On the Almost-Red Bricks

Michael Shirzadian

On the almost-red bricks of the fireplace hearth
Rests the small iron rod used to poke
Half-seasoned logs,
Black at its tip.

There Mr. Safaraz
(please call him Mehrdad)
Spoons sugarcoat-fruit and blesses the food:
Aush-e reshte with a touch of gheimeh and
Basmati with saffron of course.

These remind of Shiraz or Tehran
Or those humming-hot nights when he'd sleep on a roof
By the Caspian.

About the Author

Michael Shirzadian is a third-year English student at Cedarville University who aspires to enter an MFA program in creative nonfiction upon graduation. Michael works as News editor for his school newspaper, Cedars, and as editor for CU's almost-prestigious literary journal, The Cedarville Review. Michael enjoys pistachios, spontaneous road trips, and pictures of the ocean.

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