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| Dream in Hald (Comasia Aquaro) |
Peace and Flower
we’ll make peace when we die
when we become soil and get absorbed by a flower trunk
only by then
when the wind drags the seed from limassol to karpaz
and the one in karpaz to paphos
we’ll become flowers and blossom
without looking sideways
only by then
when we are so unaware of each other
of the flower smelt
as we are happy to smell the flower
I hide your eyes as far as I can see
I shall not sleep
Not to have your eyes disappeared from my pillow
May not my dreams or eyelashes interfere
I wish, just like raindrops,
Your eyes shall stay where they fall
When it goes dark
My windows shut firmly
My doors bolted
Feared I am that
An awkward breeze will blow recklessly
Scared I am that
Your eyes will fall off my pillow
When it goes dark
My curtains get sealed
I do throw rocks at the sooty lamps on my street
I chase the homeless cats
That rub against the mirrors and slyly peek inside
No light, no trace of life exist here
You shall think I live on a deserted street
You shall think it’s a ruined village
I hide your eyes as far as I can see
A rose dies away to my unawareness
An ungrateful poem reminds me
Of every detail of your face
Not knowing the torment it causes
A star falls
I can not wish to sleep
Not to have your eyes disappeared from my pillow
Beste SAKALLI
Translated by Ahmet Gildir
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| Dream's light (Comasia Aquaro) |
My
Homeland, My Rip and My Femininity
I’m ripped off
Listen my
homeland, I too joined you
as a fire just
flamed I’m burning and ruining
and expecting a
poem to recreate me,
and at midnight,
for the verses to tap me on the face stealthily
trampling and
mashing to dust the rules I have made for life
replacing my
name with a new one; renaming me
I’m ripped off,
my homeland! Ripped off
If Istanbul had me now on
her laps and talked to me extensively
If my mother
handed me her eyes and explicated dismemberment
and, what if this
city would not keep quite when to talk
like a stream
unifying with the sea
ripping off as I
what if this
city would not keep silent
Ay, homeland
I resemble to
you
I’m ripped off
Walls erected in
me; someone in me
Lines,
boundaries, slashes and separation placed on the remotest edges of my geography
I, the woman
flowing to herself, dripping to herself
I who shrivels
up near the wall as her own stage being acted out
Aching for the
places which
Resemble to
herself, to her homeland, and to her city
I’m ripped off
What if the rip doesn’t
grow
Beste Sakallı,
born in 1982 in
Northern Cyprus, is
one of the Turkish Cypriot poets who has accomplished in introducing her poems
to the whole world, and in stepping outside the boundaries of Northern Cyprus
where has always suffered from instability. Graduated from the university in
2003, Sakallı has already
succeeded in establishing her name in the art and literary world by
participating, organizing as well as coordinating international poetry nights
and events, and of course by significant awards she has been honoured.
She has hitherto represented her country
in a number of poetry festivals and events organized primarily by Turkey, and by many other countries such as England, Macedonia and various countries in
the Balkans. Beste Sakallı was
recently invited to a poetry night called “Boundless” as
a guest of honour in Germany where she recited her poems in English and German.
Sakallı’s poems so far have been translated
into more than eight languages such as English and German which are considered
to be universally predominant languages. And hence, she attracted the attention
of the literary and art world. She was therefore honoured with a considerable
number of significant awards, among which “Literature Award of Vector Science
Trustee” presented to her in 2006 in Baku. Soon after, since she made a great
contribution to the art and poetry in her country, last year she was nominated
with ‘Award of the
Turkish World’ presented by World Union of Turkish Young Writers, 2008
a very significant award presented to only precious
people.
Embracing and adapting poetry-writing as
a lifestyle in time, Sakallı has
always thought of how to develop her own literary works as well as contributing
to the poetry in general in her country. She didn’t limit herself and her works
with publishing only poetry books, but also Sakallı directed and presented
a TV program on Cyprus Literature for six years. She also organized, for the
first time in TRNC, International Poetry
Meeting, sponsored by Iskele
Municipality, which hosted
poets from more than 10 countries. She published her poems and writings in the top
newspaper by daily circulation in Cyprus for one and a half years.
She has recently begun lecturing literature classes at the Eastern Mediterranean
University in Cyprus.
Having published her poems in a number
of art magazines all around the world, Sakallı became the TRNC representative of the Alaz and Forum Literature magazines in Turkey. So far, she has had six poetry books published. Regardless
of what her poems indicate, she employs and
elaborates on the geography she lives, on disunitedness of her country as well
as on the boundaries. By doing so, she has created her own style through which
she kept seeking the doors of her country’s and of the rest of the world.
Her
publications include: ‘Barış Tüten Mavilik’ Blueness
Smelling of Peace (Poetry, 2000), ‘Papatya Seferleri’ Daisy Expeditions (Poetry, 2001), ‘Kar Yanığı’ Snow Burnt (Poetry, 2002), ‘İnadına Sevdalı’ Deliberately in Love (Poetry, 2003), ‘Bir Sen Vakti’ Time for You (Poetry, 2006) ‘İhlal’ Violation (Poetry, 2009)
