Till You Recognize Me Poems

This stirring collection of poetry from Mansour Noorbakhsh resonates with raw emotion and profound insight. With each verse, readers are drawn into a world where language becomes a conduit for understanding, compassion, and the universal pursuit of love. Till You Recognize Me heralds Noorbakhsh as a literary force to be reckoned with — a voice that reverberates across generations and continents. Through vivid imagery and evocative metaphors, Noorbakhsh navigates the complexities of human existence while encouraging readers to transcend cultural, religious, and political divides and connect on a human level.

Mansour Noorbakhsh writes poetry and stories in both English and Farsi, his first language, and has published a variety of works in both languages. His book-length poem, In Search of Shared Wishes, was released in 2017. Through his writing, Mansour passionately advocates for freedom, human rights, and environmental issues. He also hosts The Contemporary Canadian Poets, a weekly Persian radio program in Ottawa. His poems have appeared in numerous publications, including WordCity Lit and Verse Afire. Mansour lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife, daughter, and son.

CONTENTS Preface......................................................................................xi Till You Recognize Me ...........................................................xiii Jan. 8th .....................................................................................1 The sense of being alive .............................................................2 Rock and roll of vanishing.........................................................3 Dance Like Flames ....................................................................4 on the verge of doubt ................................................................5 Natal stream..............................................................................6 We have not left Babylon yet.....................................................7 Ornamented with soda bottle caps ............................................8 the bare shoulder of night..........................................................9 A cup of kisses.........................................................................10 Forbidden fruit........................................................................11 along the glass door .................................................................12 Survival ...................................................................................13 Bread and Shame.....................................................................14 Mine, Ours .............................................................................15 Reality and Justice ...................................................................16 Dignity....................................................................................17 I want to sing the bitterest romances .......................................18 Toast for Breakfast...................................................................19 Middle East.............................................................................20 Snowman ................................................................................21 Sneaky Bud .............................................................................22 281200 01-72 int NB_OK-Proofs.pdf_PG 7_Septembre 27, 2024_15:33:02 Who Am I? .............................................................................23 Nowruz 2023 ..........................................................................24 Dropping Slow........................................................................25 fictional life .............................................................................26 Reskinned Moloch ..................................................................27 THE TORCH THAT WE NEVER SAW...............................28 A Carefree Poem .....................................................................29 Around theWorld...................................................................30 Meet........................................................................................31 Pandemic vs Utopia.................................................................32 Amen ......................................................................................33 The Meaning of Joints .............................................................34 For Mahsa Amini ....................................................................35 Iranian Youth ..........................................................................36 Our own damn story...............................................................37 Trapped or Glowing ................................................................38 Brewing Coffee-Poem..............................................................39 Recurring like lightning...........................................................40 Mustangs.................................................................................41 If IWere You...........................................................................42