The Art of Staying Alive

soheil khodaparasti



The Art of Staying Alive

 

The world will not become a garden.

Learn

to breathe among the thorns,

and, in your thirst,

to find the way to the spring.

 

It does not rain everywhere.

Sometimes the unkind sky

forgets even

our meager share

of its clouds;

but you

must, in the desert,

in the wasteland of love,

take refuge

in the frail shadow

of yourself.

 

Not every stone

will turn into a flower,

not every passerby

will remain by your side,

and not every wound

will heal

without pain.

 

Learn

to hold on to hope

with empty hands,

with dry lips

to cry out

the name of life,

and in the heart of the sands,

to plant a seed

for tomorrow.

 

The world will not become a garden;

but you can

be a gardener

in the desert.

 

آیینِ زنده ماندن

 

،جهان گلستان نمی‌شود

یاد بگیر

،میان خارها نفس بکشی

و از تشنگی

.راهِ چشمه را پیدا کنی

 

،همه‌جا باران نیست

گاهی آسمان نامهربان

سهمِ اندک ما را 

از ابر فراموش می‌کند؛

اما تو

باید در بیابان

در برهوت محبت

به سایۀ نحیفِ خودت

.پناه ببری

 

قرار نیست هر سنگ

،به گل بدل شود

هر رهگذر

،همراهت بماند

و هر زخمی

.بی‌درد التیام یابد

 

یاد بگیر

با دست‌های خالی

،امید را نگه داری

با لب‌های خشک

،نامِ زندگی را فریاد بزنی

و در دلِ شن‌ها

.دانه‌ای برای فردا بکاری

 

جهان گلستان نمی‌شود؛

اما تو می‌توانی

در بیابان

.باغبان باشی

 

 

سهیل خداپرستی

Comments +

Comments5

  • sorenbarrett

    There is individual control in this poem a sense of being one's own master and I like that. Well done Soheil

  • Teddy.15

    We all should make our own garden, different taste different preferences and all, love the message in here. 🌹

    • soheil khodaparasti

      Absolutely, beautifully said! We all have our own unique gardens to nurture, shaped by our tastes, experiences, and preferences. What matters most is that we create them with love and let others do the same. Thank you for sharing such a lovely message!

    • Thomas W Case

      There’s a damn sturdy wisdom in this, refusing the easy lie that the world will suddenly become kind or beautiful. “You can be a gardener in the desert” is the line that earns the whole poem—it turns endurance from passive survival into an act of defiance.

      • soheil khodaparasti

        Thank you so much. I especially appreciate your reading of “a gardener in the desert.” Your interpretation of endurance as an act of defiance captures the spirit of the poem beautifully.

      • Thomas W Case

        There’s a damn strong survival philosophy here, especially in the refusal to wait for the world to become kinder before choosing to live. The final image of becoming “a gardener in the desert” is the poem’s real strength—it turns endurance into an act of creation.

      • Paul Bell

        They always say, if you wake up tomorrow it will be a great day.
        If you don't wake up, it's someone elses problem.

        • soheil khodaparasti

          That is certainly a witty way of putting it! I suppose waking up each morning is a little gift, and every new day gives us another chance to enjoy life and make it a good one. Wishing you a beautiful day ahead.



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