Tiám (August)

The Farsi noun tiám means “the twinkle in your eye when you first meet someone.” We wonder if it’s the twinkle American and Iran diplomats had when they first met for nuclear talks. We don’t need to wonder for long. By August eyes tightened. We might hear tiám in love songs or unsentimental lyrics about lasting friendship. Two little syllables lighten lines. Though fleeting by comparison, tiám’s like Herbert’s “quick-eyed Love”. We remember the first time we met those with whom we share our life. We remember the tiám of those whom we will not meet again in this life.