Marjane Satrapi and cheb i sabbah

I was charmed, SO pleased
to enjoy an evening with
Marjane Satrapi.

She's an amazing
comic artist and speaker.
Funny, frank, and French.

She speaks about her
experiences as a
true Iranian

No, not the Muslim
not the terrorist and, no,
not defeated at all.

She's a woman with
stories and a painter who
decided to share.

She smokes and creates.
She's honest and so funny.
I loved her every word.

And I dared ask her
what it was like to have her
work on black market

and if she would soon
release an album of songs
to hearken 80s.

(Her version of Eye of
the Tiger rocked in the film.)
She said no album.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post Marjane I
wanted to check out Nickie's,
an old haunt sans friends.

My friends and I don't
often dance anymore and
it has saddened me.

I used to just go,
defiantly dancing on
my own. Lately? No.

But last night I went
to see cheb spin and to see
if the music would seep...

I wrote for an hour.
Sat at the upstairs bar and
wrote some dreams and wants.

Not an easy task
to write what you want because
for me? It scares me.

I don't KNOW what I
want. Let alone write it down.
Do I want too much?

But I did it. I
wrote down skills and wants and good
things about myself.

My head nodded and
my feet tapped. But would I dance?
I wasn't so sure.

I let the bhangra
slip by me. Usually
I get up for it.

Some arabic song
came on and I thought "Maybe
now." I stopped me.

Finally I put
away my journal and things.
I slipped off the stool.

STILL in my shoes I
began to move. My shoes still
on my feet. Dancing?

I saw the joy on
others' faces. They danced and
I was stopping me.

So I just let go.
I stopped to remove my hose
and my sweater, too.

From the bathroom I
emerged ready to enter
with the muse. She came.

I let the music
sink into my pores. I smiled and
I imagined dance.

I remembered the
times our friends danced once upon
a time. It felt good.

And my family?
They gave me music and dance
and I honored them.

For my grandmother.
For my parents and siblings.
For my good people.

The magic didn't
come easily. I was still
conscious. But I danced.

And I sweat some and
I smiled, the first real smile in
well over a month.