Mother, see the dust of my lonely sorrow —
I need your prayers; I am drowning
in my own swamp.
It seems from the day I was born
my fate was written as torture.
Lost and nameless,
I wander on endless roads.
I don’t know where I am in this world —
exile has closed all my paths;
I live with an unnamed sorrow.
The four seasons here are dark and cold:
spring is suffering, summer is sorrow,
autumn is torture, and winter is death.
There is no light in this darkness —
my future is veiled in cold mist.
Mother, your hair is dishevelled
and your eyes are tired like mine.
No one asks why I am alive;
for what hope do I carry on
in this worn-out body?
For years, I have had no identity,
I am lost within myself.
The sky is full of unanswered questions,
my hands are empty, and my soul is adrift.
All ways have closed to me: I clawed
at walls and doors until I died inside.
Mother, I know your hair has turned white
from my absence. For years
I have longed for the embrace
that my body misses.
Mohammad Ali Maleki is an Iranian poet and avid gardener who lived in detention on Manus Island and in Brisbane Detention Centre for nearly ten years. Mohammad’s poems have been featured in Verity La, Bluepepper, and Rochford Street Review. His poem ‘Tears of Stone’ was shortlisted for the New Shoots Poetry Prize 2016 and received Special Commendation for extraordinary work in extreme circumstances. His poem ‘Silence Land’ was performed at the 2017 Queensland Poetry Festival as part of the Writing Through Fences performance, Through the Moon. An essay about his work has been published in the Extreme Texts Issue of Jacket2 magazine.
Mohammad’s illustrated book-length poems, The Strong Sunflower and The Fox can be purchased through the Writing Through Fences book shop. His poetry chapbook, Truth in the Cage, is available in eBook and print formats in Verity La’s online bookshop. All profits from the sale of Truth in the Cage go directly to the author.