Arguments with Silence

By Mohsain Shirazi

A book of poems

Shirazi masterfully unfolds the central inspiration thesis, which is that mankind must seriously contemplate the possibility of freedom from earthly constraints. He reveals his thoughts through a series of internal and interactive dialogues in which the very different voices of the participants are unified with a mesmeric and incantatory metric structure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zorba Books
• Release date: Feb 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9789395217347

Mohsain Shirazi

Mohsain Shirazi opted for a life of a legal beagle in the High Court . His friends call him “ Esky” . Most of his schooling was done in Bombay, except for the period from 1963-65, when he went to boarding-school in Panchgani. It was here that he began to write poetry. He obtained his B.A. degree from the National College affiliated to Bombay University, with English and History as his main subjects.Before settling down in the legal profession in 1983, he briefly worked as a journalist for (the now defunct) “beautiful” a lifestyle and fashion magazine edited by the well known model singing star Sharon Prabhakar. Eskander later worked for an airline.Though his mother-tongue is Persian (Farsi), he neither reads nor writes in it. He gets his inspiration from nature, music (Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Leonard Cohen) and “things that happen everyday.” He enjoys reading history, mystery novels and science fiction.To his friends he is known as Esky, an abbreviation of his nom de plume Eskander.

Book preview

PART

01

mother earth

i your child

so wild

so free

like the wind that blows

blows and blows

i come unto you

like the wind

like the blade of grass

freshly sprung

from the soil

i sway

i play

i laugh

i cry

i dance

i sing

mother earth

i hold your hand

just a simple child of yours

mother earth- so many be my children

i have hands for all of them

so go your way accordingly

fear not the night

nor the day

the sunshine

the rain

the storm

the summer

the winter

they all be my dresses

i change them for you

so you may

know not boredom

so go my child

be gentle

be wild

be free

like the wind

cheerful

as the bird that sings

mother earth

i go

and come unto you

you will

you will

unto mother earth

six feet deep

after knowing me well

oh pain

even my shadow leaves me

but you

you follow me

stalk me

so i may fear you

and fall into line

like the cow in the herd

oh you speck of nothing

how so you fancy yourself

as if you be something more

more than the measure

as if you be beyond

beyond measure

and yes

oh yes you are

but not as you think

oh you speck of nothing

on the scale of the universe

you measure nothing

but yet you make

and making break

adding a few grains of sand

to the dust

i be dust

yes i am dust

and dust to dust must return

but while my spirit be within it

i am the universe

though merely a child of the earth

what need i have for size

what need i have for shape

i am the spirit

the creation of the creator

both

his shadow and image

soul and substances

a tiny spark of his flame

glows within me

tis enough

to set alight the universe

and conquer pain

mother earth: dear child

even pain is joy

tis only the other side

of the same coin

so now

you be young

your flesh and bones in their prime

and you have the strength

to jump over mountains

dive into deep oceans

but you’ll be coming along

along the way

of a million gone before

wailing and crying

cursing their very births

all to no avail

for i must have

what is mine

and i take it well

so be i young

and you feel cheated

that i not be born old

ready for the grave

oh pain

from me you will not gain

for i know my body

just as my shoes

to be worn

and worn out

and i

i be my soul

that eternal vagabond

for whom

even one moment of life

is a memory forever

so on mountain tops

and oceans deep

i go my way

and beneath

the trees i sing

what i hear from the birds

for theirs is the song

the only music

made truly for the ear

for they sing of their joys

and dancing fly

and perching sing

once again

and mother earth

what a demon be i

that these creatures flee at my sight

though i seek them

in their company

to delight

for i know

theirs too is a spirit

just as mine

and i say unto them

may I die

to quell your fears

and may you’ll live a million years

mother earth: many be your kind

but they not all be sane

many of them

have taken leave of their senses

needlessly kill

and in killing rejoice

oh mother earth

what men are these

what spirit dwells within them

what soul

mother earth: they haven’t any

their souls have been sold

for wordly comforts

that truly are joyless pains

but how should they know it

they listen not to that voice within

neither do they speak to it

but spit as they may

they spit on themselves

but do they know it

mother earth: yes

when they be drowning

see

oh joy

of what shades are your kind

diseased and depraved

is it not pain

do you not feel it

when you learn of these

i learn of these

but i feel no pain

for of what gain is that

tis neither here nor there

so i go forth unto my brother

whose spirit and soul have been sold

and I say unto him

don’t sell today

for tomorrow

tis no such thing

so make no such deal

so i say unto him

for awhile you be here

and then you be gone

so whyfor

make provisions forever

tis no such thing

but do they listen

no

you only add to the noise

I say my thing

those who listen

have the freedom

to listen and believe

or to do

just as they please

for i

I say unto no one

of right and wrong

no such fool am i

I only say my thing

and force no one to buy it

for each man

howsoever much

he have of freedom

is a prisoner of his mind

and should he say so

otherwise

he makes no fool of me

but now I go

free and wild

unto mother earth

for now

which is the time

i be her child

her true child

and so

i should know her well

mother earth: so my child

i await you

but you know not my ways

you must see me as I am

and make your explanations

and take of me as much as you can

but remember

but just taking and not returning

harms the recipient

more than the doner

so do unto me

as best as you can

and i be both

your playground

and grave

something of me

still remains in you mother earth

so I seek you

as I do other creatures

though i know not

what they say

with their voices

but i know

yes i know

that some of them are within me

and me within them

so i rush

to hear