The Love of My Life and Other Poems

By Hossein Hakim

The Love of My Life

We have been together for a long time
and still, you are the love of my life
 
It feels just like yesterday that you were
my sweetheart in the high school in town

Long walks around the lake discovering
what we wanted to build together
 
We kissed in the forests
amongst the beautiful animals
I still remember the smell of roses
your lips rounded like tulips
 
Memories of the good times leading
to our journey in the present 
 
I am so happy that you are still my wife

Hunger in The World

Sitting around the dining table, with
my family around, how joyful was that
time of the day for us

We talked about our experiences of the day,
the challenges we faced, the pleasure we had, 
and what learned about life

And always in the middle of table, there was 
delicious food to share

We thanked God for having food on the table
and being in good health for another day of
our lives

But I know in Africa, a continent far from us
there is a significant shortage of food, and 
so many children die from hunger


That is so sad. I ask myself what can be done
but I am a teenager and do not know a lot

Someday when I grow up and have a job, I will 
think about what I can do for this Global Crisis of
Food in our world 

A Feather and Cycle of Life

This morning, as I was doing my walk
I saw a feather laying on the road

I took the feather home and asked 
if she was willing to talk with me about her life

The feather asked me what I wanted to know
tell me the most interesting parts, I inquired 

Feather told me with a joy in her eyes, she lived 
in the company of an ambitious bird with blue eyes, 
who was in love with Art  

The bird flew long distances, just to see all works 
of Art. That was the most important part of her life

Now, she is ready to lay down, decay into the soil 
to become new feathers to soar once more in the sky

In My Kitchen at Midnight

In my kitchen at midnight, looking
at all the dishes washed

Another day has passed, full of joy

Another day passed with 
food on the table
with roof on my head

I am thankful for being alive, for
being healthy, for 
being able to feel, for 
being able to love

I sit in a chair, count my blessings,
expressing my gratitude for another 
beautiful day passed, and 
looking forward to meeting tomorrow 

My Community

Looking at a picture from many years ago
no color, just black and white, easy to say
it is an old picture.

The picture brings so much memory to mind
I look half tall as now, I might have been ten
years old at that time

There are so many persons there in the frame
my memory of times long gone

We are holding hands, elbows together, arms
crossing each other's shoulder 

We are standing on the rooftop where we used
to sleep in summer times

There in the picture are my grandpa, grandma, 
uncles and aunts, my mom and dad, 
all gone, one by one, left us behind

There are also my brothers and sisters 
who are still alive: one living in Tanzania, 
the other in Sweden, younger sister is still 
in Iran, and my older sister lives close by

That picture reminds me so much of the era 
when we were a community and had time to
meet and talk about our lives as it was passing by

I really miss those times

Hossein Hakim was born in Tehran, Iran. He came to the United States in 1976 for his graduate studies in electrical engineering and received a Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1982. He was a professor of electrical engineering for 38 years and retired in 2020.

His interests are philosophy, history, poetry, cooking, playing pickleball and traveling around the world. His poem “Cinema Paradiso” was published in the August 2023 Issue of Ariel Chart, International Literary Journal. In accepting this poem, Ms. Jana Begovic, Senior Editor of the Ariel Chart wrote to Hossein: “You definitely have a talent to tell moving stories in free verse.” Three of his poems have been selected by the Piker Press to be published in December 2023, January 2024, and February 2024. The Ocotillo Review has accepted one of his poems to be published in the February issue of their journal; and he will be paid for his work.