"Heritage" Roots of our Being

Heritage

By Kaveh Akbar

(originally my February blog post)

The body is a mosque borrowed from Heaven, but history stains its walls with blood and dust. We pray for mercy, but we hear no answer. We love, but we are powerless. We remember, but we are forgotten. We live, but we die. Yet in our dying, we may give a gift to the living: a voice that speaks the truth, a light that shines in the darkness, a heritage that endures beyond the grave.

"Heritage" is a poem dedicated to Reyhaneh Jabbari, a 26-year-old Iranian woman who was hanged on October 25th, 2014, for killing a man who was attempting to rape her. In the poem, Akbar explores themes of violence, injustice, and religion alongside love, death, and memory.

The poem is composed of six stanzas of varying lengths, with no regular rhyme or rhythm. The title of the poem, "Heritage," suggests that the poem is concerned with the poet's cultural and personal background, as well as the legacy of Reyhaneh Jabbari. As a result, this analysis will assume that the speaker and poet are the same (that is, they are both Kaveh Akbar). The word "heritage" can have both positive and negative connotations, depending on how one views one's history and identity. In this poem, Akbar seems to question and critique his heritage, especially the aspects that are oppressive and violent.

The first stanza introduces the body as a "mosque borrowed from Heaven," implying that human life is sacred and temporary. However, the body is also stained by "centuries of time," suggesting that history has left its mark on human existence. Akbar then expresses his shame for his "sentience," or awareness, which seems to matter little in the face of divine indifference. He contrasts his situation with that of angels, who do not care about humility. He also mentions Reyhaneh's act of shaving her head and spending eleven days in solitary confinement (second stanza), which did not elicit any response from God or his angels.

The second stanza shifts to a more personal tone, as Akbar addresses Reyhaneh directly with the word "you." He describes how he is becoming more a "vessel of memories" than a person (stanza 3), underlining that he is haunted by her story and his own past. He then uses a metaphor of folding into a pocket at death, suggesting that death is a return to a hidden or forgotten place. He bids farewell to Reyhaneh with three epithets: "you mountain," "you armada of flowers," and "you entire miserable decade." These epithets convey his admiration for her strength and beauty, as well as his sorrow for her suffering and fate.

The fourth stanza begins with a contrast between love in books and love in life. Akbar cites an example of a soldier who drops his sword to feed his enemy oysters, implying that love can be a powerful force that can overcome war and hatred. However, he then states that in life, love is important and insignificant. He quotes Reyhaneh's final letter to her mother, Sholeh, where she says that she was not even killing the roaches in her cell, showing her compassion and respect for life, even in the face of death.

The fifth stanza continues with another segment of Reyhaneh's letter, where she describes how she would flick the roaches through the bars into a courtyard where she could see men building gallows. This creates a stark contrast between her kindness and their cruelty. Akbar then reveals that these men were once devout Muslims who prayed five times daily and cared for nature. However, they became corrupted and violent over time. Akbar alludes to "blackbirds" and "almond branches," which are symbols of fertility and prosperity in Persian culture, to show how these men destroyed their own heritage.

The sixth stanza shifts to a prayer-like tone, as Akbar invokes God to awaken and enlighten humanity. He uses the word "scourge," which means to whip or punish severely, to suggest that God should intervene and correct human errors. He then states that human victories are measured by the absence of pain, implying that human life is full of suffering and struggle. He repeats the word "may" three times to emphasize his plea for divine mercy.

The seventh and final stanza returns to the personal address to Reyhaneh. Akbar says that there is no solace in history, suggesting that history is full of injustice and violence. He then calls her death a "gift," which can be interpreted in different ways. It could mean that her death was a sacrifice for a greater cause, that her death was a relief from her torment, or that her death was an inspiration for others.

Akbar employs various poetic techniques to enhance the impact and expression of his poem. One of them is the use of enjambment, which is the continuation of a sentence or phrase across a line break. Enjambment creates a sense of movement and urgency, as well as a contrast between the visual and auditory aspects of the poem. For example, in the first stanza, Akar writes:

"the body is a mosque borrowed from Heaven centuries of time /

stain the glazed brick"

The enjambment here, which is evident all throughout the poem, breaks the grammatical unit of the sentence. It creates a pause between "Heaven" and "centuries", emphasizing the distance and difference between the sacred and the temporal, as well as the fragility and imperfection of human life.

Akbar also uses alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or syllables. Alliteration creates a musical effect, as well as a connection or contrast between words. For instance, from the end of the second stanza to the beginning of the third stanza, Akbar writes:

"now it's lonely all over / I'm becoming more a vessel of memories than a person"

The alliteration of "l" sounds in "lonely" and "all" creates a soft and melancholic tone, reflecting Akbar's isolation and sadness. The alliteration of "m" sounds in "more," "memories," and the "n" in "person" creates a sharp and empathic tone, highlighting Akbar's transformation and loss of identity.

Akbar makes use of metaphor as well, a figure of speech that compares two things that are not literally alike. Metaphor allows the poet to create vivid images and convey complex ideas. In the fourth stanza, Akbar writes, "in books love can be war-ending a soldier drops his sword to lie forking / oysters / into his enemy's mouth"

The metaphor here compares love to a force that can end war, using an image of a soldier who abandons his weapon and feeds his enemy oysters. This image presents intimacy, generosity, and peace, contrasting with the violence and hatred of war.

In my view, the poem is a song of sorrow and praise for Reyhaneh Jabbari, whose life and death echo in Akbar's soul. The poem skillfully weaves together strands of the personal and the political, the sacred and the profane, to paint a multifaceted image of what it means to be human. The poem invites the reader to join Akbar in a journey of questioning and compassion, to witness the pain and beauty of those who face oppression and violence. It is a feast of images, words, and feelings, that greatly reveal Akbar's skill and passion. I believe that the poem is a masterpiece that should touch the hearts and minds of many. It teaches us that we are all connected by our heritage and our humanity, that we can all learn from each other's stories, and that we can all ultimately make a difference with our voices.