----A young girl in a magical land as her father foments war----
On stage are a large group of massive, ancient trees, center. They appear angry, their limbs extended in a gruesome dance. As the audience waits for the houselights to fade and the fantasy to begin, a haunting didgeradoo solo begins to play. As the houselights fade, the didgeradoo will peak and then fade down, but not out.
(Nighttime. MASOUMEH [Sinless, Innocent] stands among the many colossal trees. She is waiting on someone…or something. In her hand she holds a small wooden doll with orange hair. The hair brushes against the leaves on the ground as she waits. The wind begins to pick up now as the didgeridoo gets stronger. Soon the ground around MASOUMEH begins to quake and the wind becomes fierce. The wind is furious, yet she is not lifted by it. Soon MASOUMEH looks up directly at the audience. She holds her doll in the air as if to offer it to them. After a long moment MASOUMEH brings the doll down again, its hair dangling to the ground. After a moment of looking very disappointed at the audience she suddenly darts behind a tree, it is as if she has vanished before our eyes. The didgeridoo intensifies and all lights fade out with the wind and the quaking. After a moment we hear someone approaching through the woods. Lights rise as JAHANGIR (JahAngir- Conquerer of the World) enters carrying a very large box. JAHANGIR is a large man with the strength of many. His face is the face of a man worn from sorrow. His eyes, full of an unreachable sadness. The didgeridoo fades down and he looks into the audiences faces.)
JAHANGIR: Ah! You’ve come! Good! Yes! Very good! (Beat.) How many are you? (Beat.) Around one hundred! (Number of seats filled in the audience.) I expected more, but looking at your faces just now I see many of you look very eager and that counts for something. Tonight- Tonight we will conquer the enemy of Islam. Together- Together we will bring the beast to its knees! Eagerness is something, yes, but you might also work on looking ferocious! Ferocious! (Beat.) No! That, I’m afraid, is “fear” and that is not something we can have! There is no place for fear tonight! No dread! No terror! No horror! None! Tonight and the next and the next you must be ferocious! You must wear fierce faces! Faces of a lion on the prowl!
(Pause as he stares at the audience, gauging them for ferocious looks. Once he is satisfied that he has found enough fierce faces…)
JAHANGIR: Yes! Yes! That is what I mean! Ferocious! Ferocious! This will be the battle of all battles! You mustn’t waiver! You must not waiver, flinch… or faint.
(He laughs with an empty echo. The wind suddenly begins to blow.)
JAHANGIR: No. No. No. Fainting is not an option! Defeat is unthinkable!
(On “unthinkable” he slams the box to the floor. The ground quakes and the wind is again furious. A bright light comes from inside the box. The light escapes through the lid like tiny lasers. The box begins to quiver.)
JAHANGIR: Shall I open the box? (Beat.) Well? I ask you, you with the eager and ferocious faces…Shall I open the box?
(Black out. Save for the beams coming from the box. The box begins to shake more and more. Suddenly it bursts open with a bright flash of light and then as suddenly as it burst open it slams shut. The theatre is in complete darkness. Silence. Soon we hear something very large breathing upon the stage. After a good moment of this a spot light comes up again on the trees and we see MASOUMEH come from behind them holding her doll. We can see the outline of the "thing" that breathes before us, it is tall and quite large.)
MASOUMEH: Father? Father? What are you doing?
(The "thing" stops its heavy breathing and turns toward her voice.)
JAHANGIR: Masoumeh? Masoumeh, what are you doing so deep in the woods?
(We now see that the very large thing was JAHANGIR standing on top of the box.)
MASOUMEH: To pray, father. To pray for peace.
JAHANGIR: Peace?
MASOUMEH: Yes. Peace, father. I pray that the people will not allow empire to rule over their souls.
JAHANGIR: O my child. My dear sweet, Masoumeh, whose name means innocence, war is not something you should try to understand. It is not for the innocent to comprehend.
MASOUMEH: Only to suffer, right father?
JAHANGIR: Do not speak to me with that tone, young lady.
MASOUMEH: Father, I am not being disrespectful. You are the one that taught me to speak my mind. To always be strong in the face of adversity.
JAHANGIR: You are not my adversary, Masoumeh.
MASOUMEH: Why do you stand on a box and breathe like a monster? Is it to frighten them… so they might believe in the cause? Frightened and therefore fooled into believing that the war you ask of them is just? That revenge is a noble reason to slaughter other frightened fools with the same revenge in their hearts?
JAHANGIR: O, Masoumeh, how can you be my adversary? How could this be? How have you learned of such things? You are but ten years old?
MASOUMEH: I am twelve, father. I am twelve and I learned all of this from you.
JAHANGIR: Me?
MASOUMEH: Yes. Do you not remember what it was you were?
JAHANGIR: You must go now! Go home, Masoumeh!
MASOUMEH: Don't you remember what it was that you said? You told me that war, all war was immoral. You said that those that cheer for war are fools and that if I were to meet a person such as this that I should speak to them of peace, that I was not to bend in the wind of their hatred. You said that to defend ones country was honorable, but to conjure the flames of revenge was a sin.
JAHANGIR: GO HOME I SAY! OBEY YOUR FATHER AND LEAVE THESE WOODS AT ONCE!
MASOUMEH: Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire.
JAHANGIR: Why do you not listen to me child?
MASOUMEH: He who sows the wind harvests the storm.
JAHANGIR: Masoumeh, you do not know what you are saying! You speak in parables!
MASOUMEH: Father, it is you that said these same things to me. They are your own words.
JAHANGIR: No.
MASOUMEH: Yes. It was you that told me to not shrink from my convictions, to not waiver from them lest I be deemed a hypocrite. I speak your words, father.
JAHANGIR: No. No. No.
MAOUMEH: The Americans will stop this war, you said. The people of that proud nation will not allow empire to rule their spirit.
JAHANGIR: AMERICA KILLED YOUR MOTHER! THEY SLAUGHTERED HER WITH THEIR BOMBS! She went to help her family flee before the war began! I told her not to go there! I said the war was going to touch her if she did! I said that America would not spare lives! I said they would rather spare a drum of oil than a thousand innocents! I told her not to go! I said they could make it to Iran on their own! I told her to stay! I begged her to stay! They killed her, Masoumeh! America killed them all! They killed your mother! They slaughtered her beautiful face! They slaughtered her beautiful face! They slaughtered her beautiful face!
(JAHANGIR now drops to his knees exhausted. He weeps loudly. MASOUMEH drops her doll and crosses to her father and pulls him to her. She comforts him as he weeps uncontrollably.)
MASOUMEH: I know, father. I know. I miss her, too. I miss mommy, too.
JAHANGIR: I was a coward! Your mother needed me! She needed me! I should not have let her go alone!
MASOUMEH: I need you now, father. I need you. Our nation needs you to speak calmly. They need you to comfort them. They need you to speak of peace, not fan the flames of war. The neocons depend upon that. The warmongers rely upon our fury. You told me as much before mama left. Remember? Mama would want you to struggle toward peace, father. She would want it for you and for me. She would want it for Iran.
JAHANGIR: Yes. Yes. She would, my child. I feel so ashamed. I am so ashamed.
MASOUMEH: You should not feel shame at being human, father. You should not feel shame for that. Your name is Jahangir, it means “conqueror of the world”, but it does not say how you shall conquer it...
(JAHANGIR holds his daughter close for a moment. He stands now and walks toward the trees.)
MASOUMEH: Where are you going, father?
(JAHANGIR picks up MASOUMEH’S doll and crosses back to her.)
JAHANGIR: Mustn’t forget your doll. Let’s go home, Masoumeh.
MASOUMEH: O, father! I love you!
JAHANGIR: I love you, too, my child. ...Give me one minute, Masoumeh.
MASOUMEH: Yes, father.
(JAHANGIR crosses down toward the audience.)
JAHANGIR: I am sorry if I scared you. There will be no battle tonight. No war. I am going home to be with my family. I suggest that you do the same. Go home and listen to your children's prayers. They speak of peace. (Beat.) By the way, earlier, when I said I saw ferocious faces on you… I lied. I only said that to rouse the enemy of peace. Please forgive me. Allahu Akbar… (He begins to walk off, but then turns back.) Do not stand in a place of danger trusting in miracles. (Again he begins to turn, but adds his own end to the parable.) And... if you find yourself standing in a place of peace... the miracle is already upon you.
(JAHANGIR crosses back to his daughter.)
MASOUMEH: Father?
JAHANGIR: Yes.
MASOUMEH: I’m twelve. I’m getting too old for dolls.
(MASOUMEH lays the doll down upon the top of the box.)
JAHANGIR: Come my beautiful innocence.
(They walk off arm in arm, disappearing into the darkness beyond the trees. All lights fade, save for a spot on the box and the doll. The didgeridoo grows ever louder and the wind begins to blow and the ground to shake. The box appears to again be trying to burst open. Dim light escapes it as it vibrates. This for some time until it is evident that the box will not come open because it is being restrained by the doll. Blackout as the didgeridoo echoes its last somber note.)
The End
© 2007 mrp/thepoetryman
On stage are a large group of massive, ancient trees, center. They appear angry, their limbs extended in a gruesome dance. As the audience waits for the houselights to fade and the fantasy to begin, a haunting didgeradoo solo begins to play. As the houselights fade, the didgeradoo will peak and then fade down, but not out.
(Nighttime. MASOUMEH [Sinless, Innocent] stands among the many colossal trees. She is waiting on someone…or something. In her hand she holds a small wooden doll with orange hair. The hair brushes against the leaves on the ground as she waits. The wind begins to pick up now as the didgeridoo gets stronger. Soon the ground around MASOUMEH begins to quake and the wind becomes fierce. The wind is furious, yet she is not lifted by it. Soon MASOUMEH looks up directly at the audience. She holds her doll in the air as if to offer it to them. After a long moment MASOUMEH brings the doll down again, its hair dangling to the ground. After a moment of looking very disappointed at the audience she suddenly darts behind a tree, it is as if she has vanished before our eyes. The didgeridoo intensifies and all lights fade out with the wind and the quaking. After a moment we hear someone approaching through the woods. Lights rise as JAHANGIR (JahAngir- Conquerer of the World) enters carrying a very large box. JAHANGIR is a large man with the strength of many. His face is the face of a man worn from sorrow. His eyes, full of an unreachable sadness. The didgeridoo fades down and he looks into the audiences faces.)
JAHANGIR: Ah! You’ve come! Good! Yes! Very good! (Beat.) How many are you? (Beat.) Around one hundred! (Number of seats filled in the audience.) I expected more, but looking at your faces just now I see many of you look very eager and that counts for something. Tonight- Tonight we will conquer the enemy of Islam. Together- Together we will bring the beast to its knees! Eagerness is something, yes, but you might also work on looking ferocious! Ferocious! (Beat.) No! That, I’m afraid, is “fear” and that is not something we can have! There is no place for fear tonight! No dread! No terror! No horror! None! Tonight and the next and the next you must be ferocious! You must wear fierce faces! Faces of a lion on the prowl!
(Pause as he stares at the audience, gauging them for ferocious looks. Once he is satisfied that he has found enough fierce faces…)
JAHANGIR: Yes! Yes! That is what I mean! Ferocious! Ferocious! This will be the battle of all battles! You mustn’t waiver! You must not waiver, flinch… or faint.
(He laughs with an empty echo. The wind suddenly begins to blow.)
JAHANGIR: No. No. No. Fainting is not an option! Defeat is unthinkable!
(On “unthinkable” he slams the box to the floor. The ground quakes and the wind is again furious. A bright light comes from inside the box. The light escapes through the lid like tiny lasers. The box begins to quiver.)
JAHANGIR: Shall I open the box? (Beat.) Well? I ask you, you with the eager and ferocious faces…Shall I open the box?
(Black out. Save for the beams coming from the box. The box begins to shake more and more. Suddenly it bursts open with a bright flash of light and then as suddenly as it burst open it slams shut. The theatre is in complete darkness. Silence. Soon we hear something very large breathing upon the stage. After a good moment of this a spot light comes up again on the trees and we see MASOUMEH come from behind them holding her doll. We can see the outline of the "thing" that breathes before us, it is tall and quite large.)
MASOUMEH: Father? Father? What are you doing?
(The "thing" stops its heavy breathing and turns toward her voice.)
JAHANGIR: Masoumeh? Masoumeh, what are you doing so deep in the woods?
(We now see that the very large thing was JAHANGIR standing on top of the box.)
MASOUMEH: To pray, father. To pray for peace.
JAHANGIR: Peace?
MASOUMEH: Yes. Peace, father. I pray that the people will not allow empire to rule over their souls.
JAHANGIR: O my child. My dear sweet, Masoumeh, whose name means innocence, war is not something you should try to understand. It is not for the innocent to comprehend.
MASOUMEH: Only to suffer, right father?
JAHANGIR: Do not speak to me with that tone, young lady.
MASOUMEH: Father, I am not being disrespectful. You are the one that taught me to speak my mind. To always be strong in the face of adversity.
JAHANGIR: You are not my adversary, Masoumeh.
MASOUMEH: Why do you stand on a box and breathe like a monster? Is it to frighten them… so they might believe in the cause? Frightened and therefore fooled into believing that the war you ask of them is just? That revenge is a noble reason to slaughter other frightened fools with the same revenge in their hearts?
JAHANGIR: O, Masoumeh, how can you be my adversary? How could this be? How have you learned of such things? You are but ten years old?
MASOUMEH: I am twelve, father. I am twelve and I learned all of this from you.
JAHANGIR: Me?
MASOUMEH: Yes. Do you not remember what it was you were?
JAHANGIR: You must go now! Go home, Masoumeh!
MASOUMEH: Don't you remember what it was that you said? You told me that war, all war was immoral. You said that those that cheer for war are fools and that if I were to meet a person such as this that I should speak to them of peace, that I was not to bend in the wind of their hatred. You said that to defend ones country was honorable, but to conjure the flames of revenge was a sin.
JAHANGIR: GO HOME I SAY! OBEY YOUR FATHER AND LEAVE THESE WOODS AT ONCE!
MASOUMEH: Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire.
JAHANGIR: Why do you not listen to me child?
MASOUMEH: He who sows the wind harvests the storm.
JAHANGIR: Masoumeh, you do not know what you are saying! You speak in parables!
MASOUMEH: Father, it is you that said these same things to me. They are your own words.
JAHANGIR: No.
MASOUMEH: Yes. It was you that told me to not shrink from my convictions, to not waiver from them lest I be deemed a hypocrite. I speak your words, father.
JAHANGIR: No. No. No.
MAOUMEH: The Americans will stop this war, you said. The people of that proud nation will not allow empire to rule their spirit.
JAHANGIR: AMERICA KILLED YOUR MOTHER! THEY SLAUGHTERED HER WITH THEIR BOMBS! She went to help her family flee before the war began! I told her not to go there! I said the war was going to touch her if she did! I said that America would not spare lives! I said they would rather spare a drum of oil than a thousand innocents! I told her not to go! I said they could make it to Iran on their own! I told her to stay! I begged her to stay! They killed her, Masoumeh! America killed them all! They killed your mother! They slaughtered her beautiful face! They slaughtered her beautiful face! They slaughtered her beautiful face!
(JAHANGIR now drops to his knees exhausted. He weeps loudly. MASOUMEH drops her doll and crosses to her father and pulls him to her. She comforts him as he weeps uncontrollably.)
MASOUMEH: I know, father. I know. I miss her, too. I miss mommy, too.
JAHANGIR: I was a coward! Your mother needed me! She needed me! I should not have let her go alone!
MASOUMEH: I need you now, father. I need you. Our nation needs you to speak calmly. They need you to comfort them. They need you to speak of peace, not fan the flames of war. The neocons depend upon that. The warmongers rely upon our fury. You told me as much before mama left. Remember? Mama would want you to struggle toward peace, father. She would want it for you and for me. She would want it for Iran.
JAHANGIR: Yes. Yes. She would, my child. I feel so ashamed. I am so ashamed.
MASOUMEH: You should not feel shame at being human, father. You should not feel shame for that. Your name is Jahangir, it means “conqueror of the world”, but it does not say how you shall conquer it...
(JAHANGIR holds his daughter close for a moment. He stands now and walks toward the trees.)
MASOUMEH: Where are you going, father?
(JAHANGIR picks up MASOUMEH’S doll and crosses back to her.)
JAHANGIR: Mustn’t forget your doll. Let’s go home, Masoumeh.
MASOUMEH: O, father! I love you!
JAHANGIR: I love you, too, my child. ...Give me one minute, Masoumeh.
MASOUMEH: Yes, father.
(JAHANGIR crosses down toward the audience.)
JAHANGIR: I am sorry if I scared you. There will be no battle tonight. No war. I am going home to be with my family. I suggest that you do the same. Go home and listen to your children's prayers. They speak of peace. (Beat.) By the way, earlier, when I said I saw ferocious faces on you… I lied. I only said that to rouse the enemy of peace. Please forgive me. Allahu Akbar… (He begins to walk off, but then turns back.) Do not stand in a place of danger trusting in miracles. (Again he begins to turn, but adds his own end to the parable.) And... if you find yourself standing in a place of peace... the miracle is already upon you.
(JAHANGIR crosses back to his daughter.)
MASOUMEH: Father?
JAHANGIR: Yes.
MASOUMEH: I’m twelve. I’m getting too old for dolls.
(MASOUMEH lays the doll down upon the top of the box.)
JAHANGIR: Come my beautiful innocence.
(They walk off arm in arm, disappearing into the darkness beyond the trees. All lights fade, save for a spot on the box and the doll. The didgeridoo grows ever louder and the wind begins to blow and the ground to shake. The box appears to again be trying to burst open. Dim light escapes it as it vibrates. This for some time until it is evident that the box will not come open because it is being restrained by the doll. Blackout as the didgeridoo echoes its last somber note.)
The End
© 2007 mrp/thepoetryman
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