Unfettered Cell

In honor of the Bahá'í's imprisoned in Iran

UNFETTERED CELL

I sit within this prison cell

Full of spirit you cannot quell

For how long I sit

No one can tell

You claim a crime, I did commit

Only the truth, do you omit

Beleaguering the friends

With no respite

In Gods name

To yourself

You bring shame

My belief

In peace justice and unity

Are the reasons

You imprison me

You think I fear

You’ll take my life

Amidst your contentious strife

In place of peace, hatred is rife

In truth it matters not

For without faith

My life is naught

You’ve taken life before this day

And mine you threaten

In the same way

What you still have yet to learn

Is with sacrifice brighter

Doth the fire burn

If by chance my life you take

Twill be yet another mistake

With the blood you shed

The awareness doth spread

And ten will arise in my stead

What makes your hatred burn so deep

That makes you think life so cheap

The innocent lives you reap

Causing the angels to weep

Of your hate

I do not reciprocate

For eventually it will abate

And a better world together

We shall create

So I sit here

and bide my time

Contemplating family

And things divine

Two paths happen here

Neither one, do I fear

Either you let me go eventually

Or end my life so suddenly

My beliefs,

I will continue to share

With every breath,

I have to spare

And if you cause

My life to end

I will transcend

-Shiidon, Rahmat 166BE, July 2009

I received a copy of an email this week addressed to students and instructors and all others involved with the BIHE. It stated that if we all did not stop our participation in this University program we were assuring the hanging of the Bahá'í's in prison at this time and our own lives threatened. Now mind you, I am in Texas, and it is in some ways no different that the countless threats over the years from fanatics, however, it is at the same time the expression of people intent on harm.

As you may know from previous posts, the BIHE is mostly an online University that arose out of the need to educate Bahá'í students in Iran after they were refused the ability to attend higher education in Iran. I am an English as a Foreign language instructor. I do this at no pay or for any other form of recognition. It is for the desire to give back to those who are giving so much of their lives for their beliefs. Having said all this, I was moved to think and reflect on those beloved souls currently in prison and the thousands before them over the course of the last 100 plus years. This poem sprang to mind and in some ways is not quite the same style as some of the other poems that I have written. I write, I do not try to understand how the flow of words come to me, I put it down on paper.

Though I am not in Iran, it was an honor to have such a statement made towards me as one of the instructors. We are not political people. We are not divisive nor are we desiring the harm anyone. We are constantly targeted by those in power in Iran over the one hundred and sixty six years of this faith. I do not fear for my life, though I would be more than overjoyed for the opportunity to lay down my life for my beliefs.

You can do something about the plight of those in prison now or in the future. You can go to www.bahai.org for information on what is happening. There are resolutions before the United States Congress as well as with many countries all over the world.