sitting in the Roman amphitheater
in anticipation of the global gathering of poets
transported in time and space
i am in an amphitheater in Turkey
my country of birth
and feel Side in me
Efes comes alive inside
Bodrum joins in joyously
her world-renowned white would go so well
with the various earth tones
Jarash offers in abundance
as does Amman at large
my adored host town for the summer
Oh, Jordan
i may have fallen in love with you . . .
i haven’t been to my homeland
in too long of a while
i cannot recall the last time i inhaled
the magical aroma of Side Efes Bodrum
my childhood and youth companion Ankara
Istanbul my grandparents’ initial home
the entire globe’s focus of wonder
sitting on its unique throne
between two continents
in all its centuries-rich glory
while Sinop my adopted Turkish hometown
still keeps me at an ocean’s distance
from her picturesque beauty
since my last loved one’s death
housed yet homeless
for the lacking geography
the home-scented soil’s delight
the gut-laughter’s home-grown fillings
and the condition-less-ly all-embracing air
Oh, Jordan
i may have fallen in love with you . . .
i am enchanted by your Amman
your Zarqa your Al-Karak your Jerash
your people’s mesmerizing warmth
your beloveds’ heart-generosity
your rare gem of natural beauty
your out-of-this-world valleys
your majestically high mountains
your incredible all-encompassing history
in trance with the dance
of poetry’s magical tunes
accompanied by age-old Ud
as brought to life by the tenderly masterful
yet modest hands of a lyrical gift of the ancient past
never mind the to-me-foreign phonetics!
my loss of course but i refuse to fret it
for there is one sound
one sound alone
and that is all there is:
in the soul we are united
through the soul we all speak
shared smiles shine brighter than the noon sun
lighting our blurred paths in the darkest of our nights
poets and non-poets alike
men women young or old
from all walks of life and space
together with children’s delightful giggles
easily evidence pure innocence is acutely in place
Oh, Jordan
i may have fallen in love with you . . .
© hülya n. yılmaz, July 27, 2018
hülyaswritings 