Written by Shahram Shahidi 
Translated by Alireza Taheri Araghi
Edited by Jayme Russell
Illustrated by Elham Asadi 

Published 6/30/2013
Art by Elham Asadi 

Art by Elham Asadi 

every other dress button of yours
do . . . undo
and do my eyes open to the warm Mediterranean of yours
Damascus is sitting on your two brown tacks
when the wind blows
the turmoil of your white dress leads its streets to disturbance
         in a muggy afternoon

buttons I have counted that cover
your summer afternoon nakedness
         from the Cairo of my eyes

you become Beirut and when you jump up to the sound of crows that
caw caw
         and the news in the air hanging . . . is a man they are killing in Kahrizak

it’s all in the paper:
Bab al-Azizia Walls Still Afraid of Dogs
Bu Sa’id Clouds Get to My Homeland Tomorrow

last button of your dress . . . will get undone in Tehran

 

Shahram Shahidi is an Iranian satirist, poet, and fiction writer. He writes columns in a number of Iranian newspapers and magazines. His poetry has appeared in three anthologies, and his short stories won him two honorable mentions in national contests. His collection of short stories, Deer Sleep with Eyes Open, was published in 2010. He currently lives in Tehran. 
(Updated Jul. 2013)

Jayme Russell received both her BA and MA in creative writing from Ohio University. She is currently pursuing her MFA at The University of Notre Dame. 
(Updated Jul. 2013)

Alireza Taheri Araghi is the writer of the collection of short stories, I’m an Old Abacus (in Farsi). He has also translated three collections of short stories into Farsi. He is currently an MFA Creative Writing candidate at the University of Notre Dame.
(Updated Jul. 2013)

Born in Iran, Elham Asadi lives and works in Milan, Italy. She has a BA in Graphic Design, an MA in Children’s Book Illustration, as well as a diploma in Painting and Visual Arts and Multimedia Languages from the Florence Fine Arts Academy. Her work has won awards and appeared in several personal and collective exhibitions including the 54th Biennale of Art in Venice and elsewhere in Europe, United States, and Asia. Since 2000 she has been working as an illustrator for children’s books; she has had many books published both in Italy and Iran. 
(Updated Jul. 2013)