A Glimpse in the City

I wasn't feeling well; I remembered a period of my life when I had to cover a long distance. I always chose Valiasr Street. I had forgotten how beautiful the earth is.

I decided to wander aimlessly, blending in like a gust of wind, without anyone noticing my presence. It was spring, but gloom had settled on the face of society. I wanted to walk up to them, greet them, and tell them that death is not the end and birth is not the beginning, but alas, they don't see me. I am not like them, at least not of their kind. I am a lost soul who missed the opportunity to live.

I forgot the pleasure of sleeping, bathing, the pleasure of touching, most importantly, loving; I was reminded of my springtime affairs that I rushed through and stored the days in the old chest of my memories, perhaps I will experience such living again. It was a strange time, the taste of love, motherhood, and... what an era it was.

Unintentionally, I ended up on Valiasr Street again, I saw a couple who had created a small romance and were eagerly kissing each other, the nest of lovers, a beautiful frame indeed, at least for those who don't turn their dry and hateful gaze to the wave of beauty and love. There was nothing higher than love on earth for me.

They were waiting for a taxi by the roadside, the girl had a backpack with a doll hanging from it with the name "Rokhsareh" written on it, it could be understood that the girl's name was Rokhsareh. The boy bought a red flower branch for Rokhsareh and looked around, taking a kiss from her cheek. The girl had a kind face; their goodbye seemed long, as if it were hard for them to part. A taxi arrived; the boy opened the taxi door and watched Rokhsareh. Everything between them was vivid, coloring their surroundings and breathing life back into the tired and exhausted atmosphere of the city. The girl got into the car and waved goodbye to the boy, not even saying a word; for a moment, she smelled the flower and a small smile appeared on her face. I observed her closely, smiling with thoughts and imaginations, and after a while, she covered her face with her hands and lowered her head out of embarrassment. She was in love even in the absence of her beloved, the scent of the flower filled the car; a flower that symbolized the freshness and beauty of the girl. Rokhsareh sat on the back seat of the car, but her imagination followed the boy, wondering where the next destination of the red flower was. A taxi stopped in front of a middle-aged man wearing a mask; the man got into the car with an oxygen capsule. He coughed finely and painfully, as if the sound of his chest was piercing his body with needles. I was waiting for him to get better, but it seemed like his breaths were counting down moment by moment. The man gestured to the girl that after the war, he brings the smell of his breath down and indicates with his finger the red flower; the girl, without hesitation, threw the flower out of the window. I was impressed by his action. The flower was Rokhsareh's entire being; she had thought of drying it in the middle of a book as if it had an eternal decree for her, but a thought crossed my mind, that the man had sacrificed a part of his valuable existence to preserve a higher value, the girl's sacrifice was equal to the man's, both had passed their love and existence for someone else's life. I got out of the car and followed the red flower, which fell into a corner of the street after a few spins. Some time passed, and the flower seller picked it up; his face was black, his head dirty and drooping, smelling the flower, the child's face of anger and fatigue changed, with the smell of the flower, he transformed into a happy face, playing openly with his hands on the table next to Lili Street, and the petals of the red flower fell into the stream of water on Valiasr Street, carrying the beautiful colors of life with it to other places, this was the first good thing that manifested a feeling close to love on earth for me in these circumstances, but unfortunately, I was just an observer of it. Despite this, my mood improved, and now the command is to return to where I belong.

Farewell