Majid Naficy: George Habash Sandwich

We returned from a Trump protest
And wanted to walk in Golden Gate Park.
We stopped at a sandwich shop
Which smelled like Tehran.

.

Wendy said, “He looks Iranian.
His name is David Habash.”
I said,  “No” and asked, “Where are you from?”
He said, “My grandfather came from Jerusalem 
And this shop belonged to him.”

.

Then, guess what we said and heard.
He told me about his Uncle George 
And I told him about my late friend, Hossein
Who after the Siahkal Raid* 
Went to Dubai from Iran 
To join the Palestinian Movement.

.

David gave me a big sandwich
Which was like a casket.
I said, “One day 
We will bury our dead”
And we left.

.

We sat in the park
Biting into our sandwiches.
They were sweet and spicy
And, as with Iranian sandwiches,
Full of pickles.

—

February 20, 2019  

*On February 8, 1971, a group of young guerrillas attacked the gendarmerie post in the town of Siahkal near the Caspian Sea. It was the beginning of Armed Struggle in Iran.  

Copyright 2019 Majid Naficy