not here . . .

hearing the fireworks at Niagara Falls
thinking of war zones overcasting the globe
bombs, grenades, exterminated lives, blood,
much blood, unimaginable pain and utter fear

seeing is believing, says this language root
yet soul’s eyes pierce the empirical
sees through and through
meets it all eye to eye
and takes it all in
loud and clear

there is so much suffering in open sight
that the mind freezes up,
crawls back to its womb
the heart is helpless
in its despair
and woes

(c) hülya n. yılmaz, June 7, 2019