Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Selahattin Yolgiden

Thessaloniki

I lost you on a spring day
everywhere ı look has been constantly bleeding
"the pictures" ı said, "shall be taken down from the wall one by one
and shall be planted in our hearts, so that they grow"

we are eating at midnight in thessaloniki,
the only restaurant in a small town
a car passes by
with three shadows inside,
darker than the night.
"in prague, they were hanging people" you say,
"thin people, on gallows, in forty-six"
you endlessly tell me these stuff
while the night is growing
polysyllabically on your hair.

your hands are like a river
thirsty of its sea in the summer

"this jasmine" you say, "ı love
as a daughter"
thus my hands are snow-white
thus night-after-night
I cry under the arbors."

"every day is alike" you say
but different in fact
every breath opens to another door
every door absolutely to the love.

Selanik

Selanik

seni bir mayıs gününde kaybettim
kanadı durdu baktığım her yer
resimleri dedim, bir bir indirmeli duvardan
kalplere ekmeli ki büyüsünler.

gece yarısı yemek yiyoruz
selanik’te, küçük bir kasabanın tek lokantasında
bir araba geçiyor caddeden,
içinde üç gölge geceden kara
“prag’da asıyorlarmış insanları” diyorsun,
“incecik insanları, darağacında, kırk altıda…”
durmadan bunları anlatıyorsun
gece çok heceli uzuyor saçlarında.

yaz içinde denizine susayan
küçük bir dere gibi ellerin.

“yasemini – diyorsun, kızım gibi severim
ondan böyle bembeyaz ellerim,
ondan böyle geceler boyu,
ağlamam çardaklar altında.”

her gün birbirine benzer diyorsun
ama farklı aslında
her nefes başka bir kapıya açılır
her kapı ille aşka.
Close

Thessaloniki

I lost you on a spring day
everywhere ı look has been constantly bleeding
"the pictures" ı said, "shall be taken down from the wall one by one
and shall be planted in our hearts, so that they grow"

we are eating at midnight in thessaloniki,
the only restaurant in a small town
a car passes by
with three shadows inside,
darker than the night.
"in prague, they were hanging people" you say,
"thin people, on gallows, in forty-six"
you endlessly tell me these stuff
while the night is growing
polysyllabically on your hair.

your hands are like a river
thirsty of its sea in the summer

"this jasmine" you say, "ı love
as a daughter"
thus my hands are snow-white
thus night-after-night
I cry under the arbors."

"every day is alike" you say
but different in fact
every breath opens to another door
every door absolutely to the love.

Thessaloniki

I lost you on a spring day
everywhere ı look has been constantly bleeding
"the pictures" ı said, "shall be taken down from the wall one by one
and shall be planted in our hearts, so that they grow"

we are eating at midnight in thessaloniki,
the only restaurant in a small town
a car passes by
with three shadows inside,
darker than the night.
"in prague, they were hanging people" you say,
"thin people, on gallows, in forty-six"
you endlessly tell me these stuff
while the night is growing
polysyllabically on your hair.

your hands are like a river
thirsty of its sea in the summer

"this jasmine" you say, "ı love
as a daughter"
thus my hands are snow-white
thus night-after-night
I cry under the arbors."

"every day is alike" you say
but different in fact
every breath opens to another door
every door absolutely to the love.
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