The house is almost empty except for a few boxes and packing material still lying around. Ah yes and the giraffe, half packed, still with her long neck showing. The last object standing after 4 years of living in Iran. The rest is gone, All the things that witnessed how much we loved this city and its people have disappeared. A few days was all it took.
The silence is overwhelming too. My husband and daughter are still asleep. I lost count on how many times in these years I was the first to get up to catch the early rays of sunshine, the drops of rain or the flakes of snow depending on the time of the year.
It is now summer, the heat is soaring but still there is nothing like the morning light in Tehran. It always appears shy and somewhat hesitant but it soon floods our terrace with warmth.
How many times did I sit in the terrace, holding my first cup of coffee? How many mornings, rain or shine, even with snow and frozen cheeks, looking at the mountains and Sa’dabad palace?
I look around again and in the emptiness I notice the light. This morning light still reflects the beauty of the special moments we lived together in this space for 4 years.
At the end not even my shadow will remain but the light will reflect new lives and the cycle will go on.
For now I will take my last light with me, along with the memories and all the things that will always remind me of the home I once had in this city. How I walked in its streets, how I explored its bazaars, how I talked and photographed its people, how its nature became part of my routine.
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11 Comments
Maria: Ya extrañaba yo tus fotos y tus reflexiones. Estas ultimas imágenes de la luz matinal de Teherán acompañadas de tus nostálgicas y bellas frases le dieron un toque de hermosa poesía a tu despedida de ese lugar tan lleno de recuerdos para ti.
Felicidades y adelante.
Fernando Rueda Franco
Thank you! Muchas Gracias Fernando, ya extrañava yo sus comentários. És sempre difícil decir adiós!
Maria…… jaye shoma kheili khali….. means ‘your space is empty here‘
Oh so beautiful! Thank you Michelle!❤️ It is very hard to leave it behind …
Maria,
Tu as si poétiquement décrit l’ambiance et tes sentiments et si professionnellement photographié les coins suivis par les rayons du soleil qu’on se croirait dans les nouveaux contes de Mille et Une Nuit!! Je suis heureuse et fière de l’amour que tu as offert à mon pays et les belles traces gravées dans ton cœur, de cette terre si chère et si mal-connue.
Toutes mes félicitations! J’ai hâte de lire toute l’histoire bientôt!
Scheherazade (Shahrzad)
Merci Sharzad pour tes belles paroles qui m’ont touché profondément. Tu sais comment j’aime ton pays et en particulier le peuple avec son intelligence, gentillesse et culture. Iran et en particulier mes amis Iraniens comme toi, me manque déjà!
It’s always sad to say goodbye! In the last four years you managed to capture in your work the real people of Iran and you were fortunate to make friendships for life!
Looking forward to hear about your new adventure in the near future. Xx
Thank you Mena. Indeed I tried always to portray through my photography the Iran that I came to know well and fell in love with, in particular its people. I still have a big project regarding Iran that is very close to my heart and that I will be working on for the next few months. xx
This depicts not only the light but also renders your loving way to say farewell to four years spent in the footsteps of Iran and its people. New adventures await you but in your heart remains the indelible mark of the way you embraced Iran, its culture and people. The friendships you made along the way will remain with you forever as you will also remain in their fondest memories. It is in these small steps that we find the way to the soul´s content. XX
You are very right, Iran will always remain in my heart and the friends that are so dear to me, will still be there as I will be for them. This is what gives me a certain comfort in my sadness. xx
Fotografias e palavras entrelaçam-se, apertam nós de memórias e emoções. Dos objectos que habitaram a casa espreita um pescoço de girafa, em irónica despedida. A luz que desenha percursos no espaço vazio inscreve , vibrante, a despedida.