How Ayatollah’s Raindrops Froze Tehran in 1979

By Gerard Sarnat

As were skinny-dipping habits during drinking,

we cretins or cronies dove into our usual river

that turned out to be rotgut vodka on fire

then many of us fitfully drown —- none

escaped apparently 100% Scotch free

 

except little old me plus a nun

I had been in love with since

childhood when somewhat

strangely attracted to garb

worn by parochial school

 

teachers who convinced

her to join their convent

after which she and I

went into a clothing

store where clerks

 

mistook her black

woolen serge suit

toe to head veil

as a large bolt

of material

 

to pull on

back in

the day

before

it was

 

stylish

post Pope

John XXIII’s

2^nd Vatican Council

for habits to be discarded

 

toward more normal women’s dress

(still conservative/ big visible crucifix)

succeeded decades later by surging new reign’s

“modern” wives of devout fundamentalist Muslim men

staying current binding selves in now all-the-rage burkas.

 

Gerard (Gerry) Sarnat has been published in over 150 journals and anthologies since 2008. He has received awards inside and outside the US. More information about his publications is available at http://www.gerardsarnat.com/.