Jan. 8th 
 (To 167 passengers and 9 crews perished in flight 752 Tehran on 8th of January 2020)
  
 And still I am waiting for
 something to happen somewhere
 without knowing what and how.
  
 One year has passed since
 the downing of Flight PS752, and
 still cruel politicians are
 spending millions 
 to protect themselves
 and spread the meaningless words
 in press conferences 
 to make an announcement 
 about how just they are
 while they are in power 
 by unjust relations
 and their holy words are only
 haggling the priceless lives
 and loves that were
 perished by them.  
 Since they bargain for
 more modern weapons too. 
  
 I am waiting like my ancestors
 and like their handprints
 on the cave’s wall, that are 
 still waiting like me, 
 for the essence of morality.
  
  
  
  
  
 A Carefree Poem
                          After:
                           “The Scream” a painting by Edvard Munch
  
 Any scream is a loneliness
 echoed in an afternoon coffee
 on the patio of a survived café 
 waved on your eyes
 looking at the shining waves
 of the coffee that are
 moving warm and exulted / exulting 
 toward the strong wall of cup
 and turn back and start again 
 want something to happen
 as you slowly turn the cup in your hand 
 and move your eyes around 
 the silent people who buy a coffee too
 and take a seat apart of each other too
 and looking, hoping for an exulted /exulting
 shining waves.
  
 You chose metaphors
 as a shelter, a parapet,
 you knew how lies and daggers
 are cruel together
 and so, unafraid lies 
 and unthoughtful stabs.
  
 You invented the poem, then 
 as a shelter for your heart
 in the days of roving loves 
 and you chose metaphors 
 in the famine of thoughts.
  
 But I need to inhale a carefree poem.
  
  
  
 

  
 Around the World
  
 Commotion is a shattered silence
 still silent, but comprehensible.
  
 Are all silences, 
 let say shattered silences, 
 or commotions, alike?
 like a puzzle with infinite parts
 but all similar in shape?
  
 Like the puzzle of city windows
 at the background of the breaking news
 infinite flickering spots
 fill the world with similar pieces,
 replicating and perplexing
 piece with peace.
  
 Your poem protects our differences
 while the idealists’ prayers sink into
 the global warming of stock market.
  
 Come, you will find me
 from a burning dance
 hung up on a window
 resembling your poem.
  
 I will be waiting for you 
 while you are ascending
 word by word.

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Mansour Noorbakhsh writes and translates poems in both English and Farsi, his first language. He tries to be a voice for freedom, human rights and environment in his writings. He believes a dialog between people around the world is an essential need for developing a peaceful world, and poetry helps this dialog echoes the human rights. Currently he is featuring The Contemporary Canadian Poets in a weekly Persian radio program https://persianradio.net/. The poet’s bio and poems are translated into Farsi and read to the Persian-Canadian audiences. Both English (by the poets) and Farsi (by him) readings are on air. This is a project of his to build bridges between the Persian-Canadian communities by way of introducing them to contemporary Canadian poets. His book about the life and work of Sohrab Sepehri entitled, “Be Soragh e Man Agar Miaeed” (trans. “If you come to visit me”) is published in 1997 in Iran. And his English book length poem; “In Search of Shared Wishes” is published in 2017 in Canada. His English poems are published in “WordCity monthly” and “Infinite Passages” (anthology 2020 by The Ontario Poetry Society). He is a member of The Ontario Poetry Society and he is an Electrical Engineer, P.Eng. He lives with his wife, his daughter and his son in Toronto, Canada.