Majid Naficy: Languages of My Father

My father knew other languages
Besides Persian.
When dementia came upon him
He wanted to test his memory
So he puckered his lips
And sang in German time after time:
“Wenn du mich küssen willst
Musst du verliebt sein.
If you want to kiss me
You must be in love.”

I was present
When every Saturday night
During my childhood
One of his students
Came to our house
To teach him Russian.

He taught himself
His last language.
In a film made by my sister Nooshin
We see him in his last days of life
Sitting on a wheelchair
Talking to and kissing a rose.

Copyright 2017 Majid Naficy

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