Poem by Behrouz Boochani
“Thinking about love has been a cure to my wounded soul throughout the years that I’ve been in this prison,” says Behrouz Boochani. “To me, love is the only shared language among people of the world—it’s what we all desire and what gives our being a purpose and meaning. And that is what has been taken away from us in Manus and Nauru: We’ve been denied the right to love and to be loved back.”
After being forced to flee the oppressive political situation in Iran, and leave behind his war-weary Kurdish homeland, Boochani was intercepted in Australian waters while seeking asylum by boat in 2013. His first attempt to reach Australia failed and he nearly drowned; he made a second dangerous journey from Indonesia and was picked up by a British tanker after being lost at sea for a week. Passengers were then transferred to the Australian Navy and detained—he has been trapped on Manus Island ever since. While there, he has managed to release an award-winning and critically-acclaimed book, along with nearly one-hundred articles and even a documentary film from the island. Here, Boochani reflects on that which has helped him resist the violence of the prison system—and find freedom within.
You kissed me
Thousands of times, you kissed me
With anxious lips—those lips reveal the mysteries in your eyes
Those lips—I had to traverse thousands of oceans to arrive at those lips
You kissed me deep within a jungle
Among a carnival of crickets
In amongst the friction between the light upon the leaves
You kissed me, I sensed your lips like salt…or possibly they were sweet
You embraced me
Thousands of times, you kissed me
…upon a bed that played host to our sweat
…on a balcony facing the rain
…beside the innocent gaze of a cat while it nourished kittens with milk
…in the middle of an island, looking up at the flight of an eagle with crown of white
You embraced me
In that moment of wonder you devoured me
You enveloped me, up alongside the course veneer of a branch
That branch epitomizes the land
You cried my name
Thousands of times, you cried my name
…among the sound of waves
…facing the moon and clouds
…under a starless night
Penetrating
Sitting on a tree trunk that lays there on the sand
You called my name
…through the choir of song that surrounded us
You beheld my face
Thousands of times, you beheld my face…
in the sunlight, your eyes concealing tears of the past
In the middle of gentle rainfall, moistening your cheeks
Flowing with dew
Beside a seaside abundant with identical boats
Boats carrying stocks of bananas…possibly coconuts
Within a cottage…
this could be a dream
You beheld my face beyond the hundreds of eyes gazing at you
Through the smoke that evokes the memory of a clan
You smiled at me
Thousands of times, you smiled at me
Beside an indigenous woman who embodies the smell of fish
Beside a man whose skin embodies the bitterest bitterness
…he feels like the coarseness of a branch
…his arms resemble bloodied axes
He was gentle, but full of desire
You smiled at me
With lips the scent of wine
But…
But this is a confession
However…
However, none of these draws me in like the depths of your eyes
I am a man purified by your love
TRANSLATION OMID TOFIGHIAN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO/UNSW
This article appears in Volume 02: Latitude of Atmos.
Latitude traces the lines that connect cultures around the world, from globalization and international efforts to stall the effects of climate change to personal freedom and the refugee crisis. The new issue features contributions from acclaimed screenwriter and actor Brit Marling, award-winning journalist Behrouz Boochani, and visionary photographers including Jamie Hawkesworth, Charlie Engman, Pierre Debusschere, Max Farago, and more.
