for Seyyed Javad Zabihi
A seyyed—
the Prophet’s descendant—
he wore a fez—
as a pious Muslim
chanted the azan and
spiritual supplications
on the national radio—
His pleas
converted Muslims to Islam
His deep voice and tremolos
the purest praise of the divine in Persian
His instrument his throat
Like the arrow of Arash
the Muezzin’s soul—
would leave his body
and touch the believers and deniers
After the revolution
he was accused of
being in league with the kafir
Radio archives were purged
of his recordings
He came to fear for his life
petitioned ayatollahs for protection
was jailed for a while
Some time after his release
in the holy Muslim month
he was invited to a religious gathering
Later a photo
of his body
was sent to newspapers—
dismembered—
with his tongue cut out—
Young men brought into the fold
by the likes of the muezzin—
claimed responsibility
Still later, the Sharia ruler who sentenced
thousands of political prisoners to death
wrote that he had ordered the execution
The muezzin
became a muezzin
in a secular dictatorship
and was martyred by fellow-Muslims
in an Islamic Republic
in the month of Ramadan
Now he is in Heaven
His chants
transcending tongues
for an audience of one—
Allah
by Bänoo Zan
Bänoo Zan is a poet, translator, essayist, and poetry curator, with more than 280 published pieces and three books including Songs of Exile and Letters to My Father. She is the founder of Shab-e She’r (Poetry Night), Canada’s most diverse and brave poetry open mic (inception 2012). It is a brave space that bridges the gap between communities of poets from different ethnicities, nationalities, religions (or lack thereof), ages, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, poetic styles, voices, and visions. Bänoo, along with Cy Strom, is the co-editor of the poetry anthology: “Woman, Life, Freedom: Poems for the Iranian Revolution.” Deadline for sending poems is March 2024. Find the submission guidelines here: https://guernicaeditions.submittable.com/submit.