The City I Imagine

#آگاهی A journey through time and the story of my city In my city the streets are clean, but the street cleaners do not have to knock on doors asking for a monthly contribution or a holiday tip. In my city, children are at school and flower sellers are in their gardens. In my city, no one is homeless. In my city, travel is an annual plan, whether within the country or beyond it. It is not an impossible dream. In my city, an hour's wages buys workers several kilos of good meat. “Poor quality” has lost its meaning. In my city, people respect the beauty of a queue and wait their turn. No one thinks of using connections to cut ahead. In my city, unemployment died years ago, and no one has to beg from another. In my city, electricity and gas are not free, but no one struggles to pay in installments. In my city, birds fly free. There are no cages and no locks. In my city, dancing, singing, and joy are everywhere. In my city, every passerby's face wears a smile. No one remembers the habit of frowning. In my city, a woman in a chador walks beside a girl with long hair. Neither fears the other or carries a grudge. In my city, there are no orders, no shouting, no cries to be heard. In my city, laughter and kisses are part of ordinary life. In my city, a glass of wine tastes and smells the same to the garden's doorkeeper and its wealthy owner. They sit at the same table, because in my city, they become “us.” What I have described, my friend, may be a wish today. But know this: These are only the basic rights you and I should have in the cities of tomorrow's Iran. What Reza Shah began, Shahanshah Aryamehr built, and Reza Shah II will, I hope, bring to fruition. My fellow Iranian, my comrade, my friend: see what we could have. Take my hand so we can build what is rightfully ours. Instead of living on sorrow and regret, let us join hands and bring joy, dignity, and our rights back to our country. Long live Iran. Forever #جاویدشاه P.S. Painting by Anna Berezina