A Literary Magazine in Support of the Jewish Community
Dear Mahsa
Mahsa was a Kurdish woman who died 9/16/2022
after her arrest by the Iranian Morality Police.
Today, I shampoo my gray hair
with SoftSilver, lemony mists
when I step out of the tub.
I wrap a damasked towel
around my head. Some ringlets
wet my brow, and I think
of you, Mahsa, your escaping
brunette locks. I can’t imagine
being wary of unruly tresses,
of covering what is beautiful.
Later, walking around my
withering garden—goldenrod,
mums, lance-leaved coreopsis—
I pluck a late autumn crocus,
tuck it into my curls. Mahsa,
in this time of diminishing sun,
I’ll light holy day candles, say
your name, Mahsa, like the moon,
cherish blessings of fresh petals,
how they can make one feel
alive with their young pink skin.
Fran Markover
Fran Markover is a retired psychotherapist from Ithaca, New York. Her poems have been published in many journals. Her chapbook, History's Trail, was published by Finishing Line Press. Her full-length poetry collection, Grandfather's Mandolin (Passager Books, 2021), was a finalist for the Henry Morgenthau III First Poetry Book and won Best Spiritual Poetry Book from American Book Fest. Other honors include nominations for Best of the Net and a Pushcart Prize. She has also won the Miriam Chaikin Writing Award and the Anna Davidson Rosenberg Poetry Award.
