Director Abbas Kiarostami is quoted as saying “I prefer the poetry of life to the prose of cinema.” Like poetry, his films are often filled with silences and ambiguous moments that invite question and conversation.
Recently, I found this amazing book, In the Shadow of Trees: The Collected Poetry of Abbas Kiarostami. It collects several volumes of Kiarostami’s hard to find poetry publications including Walking with the Wind and A Wolf Lying in Wait. It’s a visual treat.
A few months back, I shared some of Abbas Kiarostami’s poems from this collection and wanted to share a few more.
The honeybee
hesitates
among thousands of cherry blossoms
Springs
in the heart of faraway mountains.
No one drinks the water,
not even a bird.
A stranger
asks directions
from a newcomer,
also a stranger.
The result of my deviation
is dirt roads
for those who follow.
The wild flowers
do not yet know
that this road
has for years
been abandoned.
The stray dog
wags its tail
for the blind pedestrian.
Insomnia
of moonlit night.
A useless conversation
with myself
until morning.
Rain falling onto the sea.
A dry field.
Ten times
wind
opens
the old door
and closes it
noisily.
The first piece of poetry
raised from the heart
sat on the page.
Next lines…
difficult and useless.
The spider
stops working
for a moment
to watch the sunrise.
Cinematic Point Of View 
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