Teardrop

Teardrop

By Ideen Kiafar

If only this teardrop could

Extinguish the flame

Alleviate the pain,

Initiate the rain, even

I guess I’m only dreamin’…

If only this teardrop could

Prevent the drought

Perhaps change wildfire routes,

Or climate deniers’ doubt, too

I must be the one who plays the fool…

But what if, this teardrop could

Nurture the earth

Moisten the dirt,

Generate rebirth, growth

I’m forever holding on to this hope…

And what if, this teardrop could

Hydrate as we rebuild

Strengthen our will,

Remind how it made us feel, Pacific Palisades

All of our teardrops look the same…

Ideen Kiafar is a physician and a Fellow at Stanford University. He also writes poetry. His poems have frequently been published in literary, academic and medical journals.

For a while, Dr Kiafar had not written any poem as, according to him, poems should come to you; you should not pursue them for the sake of writing a poem.

The Los Angeles wildfires in the early part of January 2025 saddened him significantly, especially for what happened to Pacific Palisades, the neighborhood he has many fond memories of. Among many valuable structures and buildings, the Palisaded High School, where he and his older brother were educated at for four of their best adolescent years, was not spared from the expansive fires.

Just before the fires were completely extinguished, Ideen Kiafar came to Los Angles from Northern California for a three-day visit with his family who were affected by the fires and had to be evacuated twice during the height of the fires. But fortunately, their house was saved. One afternoon, all of a sudden, he softly and calmly told his family:

I have written a new poem — for Pacific Palisade.