Echoes No.7: The Island Poem by Daniel Brick

The Island you desire
is neither near nor far.
It is both accessible and
completely out of reach.
If you try to get there
by air, the seasoned pilot
will fly in wider and wider
circles, searching for this
green spot in a blue immensity.
He will readily admit failure
and ruefully smile when you
ask for a second attempt...
On a destined morning, you will
sense a different light has covered
your sleep, you will smell sweetness
of an alien fruit, and you will know
you have attained the Island you desire.
Don't think of this poem as a riddle,
don't think of your journey as a miracle,
don't think at all. This is a place you
are meant to be. Your future good deeds
depend on your timely arrival. Even events
leading up to your marriage are intertwined
with your experiences here and now. You may
even cross paths with one of your future
children. She will recognize you immediately:
"Mother, mother, I see you, and now my life
can really begin." And you two will shed tears
of absolute joy in a timeless embrace. And then
a moment later, you will be in Tehran, sitting
in your favorite chair, your mother in the kitchen
fixing your favorite food. And all of this will be
remembered as a dream, or dreamed as a memory.

(This poem was inspired by an email from Baharak as she visited
an island in the Persian Gulf for the first time.)