Memories and anti memories

Memories and anti memories
Julian cannonball mixes well with the sound of rain fall and storm coming over Caspian that shakes the old walnut tree outside my window. From the town I can hear the voice of Moazen who sounds strange and distant over loud speakers where maybe a century ago my grandfather's father was the ….. of the mosque. Even thou from a religious family I'm not that religious for that matter I can't remember when was the last time I prayed. My father was an atheist and in those shaky years of uncertain dominance of secularism I don't remember ever school authorities or others hold a mass prayer. I'd seen my grand mother praying for a long time first her daily prayers and then reading of quran which she didn't understand but was able to read the words. Girls of well to do families were allowed to learn Arabic reading and writing but that was solely for purpose of reciting Ayeh from Quran without actually understanding the content. For some clerics to understand the meaning of what was said in Quran could lead to sacrilegious thoughts and agnosticism. I'd see her pray whenever we'd go for summer vacation. She'd wake up in early morning light before everyone woke up and I'd join her in her solitude and wait for her to finish and then she'd go get a few fresh eggs from the hen house and boil them for my breakfast. When I finally made it back after almost 30 years of exile first morning after so many years I heard this familiar voice one call to prayer by a Moazenzadeh. For a moment I was taken back to days before escaping to Europe. However this strange voice from the mosque this call to prayer is different it has an Arabic tone to it while the old Moazen zadeh's call to prayer was based on Iranian traditional music. i was thinking why they'd use this call to prayer over the old one. The content is the same while one has roots in Persian music and has connection to a time prior to fiasco they call Islamic revolution. There is nothing familiar and that's exactly why it is used, the real enemy for despots and totalitarian regimes is memory. Memory causes comparing what used to be and what exists. Hence memory and those who have memories of a time that religion was of meditative and personal value