I once dined with a family from Tehran.
They served flavours of mint and thyme
pomegranate and citrus
with legumes and beans
in aromatic sauces.

There was verse
embroidery
astronomy and wisdoms
with talk of wells and sweet water and caravanserai.
The colours were carnelian and turquoise.

Now an alpha devil
shrills through a warring megaphone
Tehran will burn!
The orchards tremble and the bees lie low.
Ancient parchments curl in trepidation.

I think of the mild green of the pistachios we shelled
the bread we broke
the fragrant tea we drank
the sweet dates and apricots. I reflect on what it will mean to us
should Tehran’s poems be engulfed by fire.

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Tehran will burn!– Israel Katz, Israeli Minister of Defense 14 June 2025

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Image: httpswww.istockphoto.comphotosblazing-fire