Deathhouse

A piercing voice,
Like a familiar lament,
"Like the cold autumn wind,”
Lingers around your lifeless body.

— You rejected solitude.
So did I.

"I despise your pity, for I am my own solace..."

— You believed in work.
So did I.
You embraced humanity beyond borders, beyond faith.
So did I.

"This is a bitter elegy..."

— You longed for peace and justice.
So did I.

"My roots have turned black..."

— They killed you in prison.
They killed my comrades too.
You stood against oppression.
So did they.

"But I will stand tall,"
"I will live on in my songs."

— Your friends will rise.
So will mine.
We will stand, side by side.
We will not kneel.
Together, we rise—free and equal.

Footnotes:
Behnam Mahjoubi was a member of the Gonabadi Dervishes, a persecuted Sufi order in Iran. He was killed in prison on February 16, 2021. On February 22, in accordance with his will, he was laid to rest in his hometown of Hojjatabad, Kerman, as the voices of Hayedeh and Mahasti filled the air.

Hayedeh (1942–1990) and Mahasti (1946–2007) were two of Iran’s most iconic singers, known for their powerful voices and songs of longing, love, and resistance.

The Gonabadi Dervishes are followers of the Nimatullahi Gonabadi Sufi Order, one of the largest and most well-known Sufi orders in Iran. Despite their peaceful nature, Gonabadi Dervishes have faced systematic persecution in Iran, especially in recent decades. The Iranian government sees them as a threat to the clerical establishment, accusing them of spreading beliefs that challenge state-sponsored religious ideology.