Excerpt

 

What a fulfilling thought;

To hear the laughter,

Feel the gentle gaze,

See the joyous face,

Of someone you care about.

Serenade to A Muse, Cut Short

The poem here has been shortened to cut the second half which is being kept private.

I was making my way through a feracious jungle,
Each step sinking into the cold earth,
Parasites leeching off my back,
Vines tangled around ankles,
Thorny weeds leaving scars,
Sly wanderers wearing faces.

I take in the oh-so-sweet fruits
Handed to me in my face,
Which briefly satiate
To only wound from the inside.
At a lush green desert,
In abundance suffocating.

I neglect to notice an oasis,
The refuge right next to me,
And a soothing tree in the middle of it,
With a story not unlike my own:

At the tail end
Of the first week of September,
Had her noble seedling sprouted.

Here she developed:
Pricked and shaken,
Barely a whimper,
In a state of late bloom;

She kept her petals shut,
Locked away and stuck,
In search of a light.

With roots gripping the earth frail,
Asking for one drop to be spared,
She dared to simply take
A breath of air.

While she beat herself up,
For the lack of things forsaken,
With the sight of flowering plants
Hoarding the sky above,
Came a need for a hustle to catch up.

In the shadow with personal clouds,
She pondered and observed;
What is the right way to navigate this world?

A weightless calm and a frantic dread,
That both may well accompany drifting afloat?
Versus standing, shoulders broad,
On the one hand chained to a wall?

In a cyclical motion through the spiral.
Progress with each setback.
Tired exhales became her breath.
Tears her dew.
Reflections light.

A process to take gloom
And convert it to exude bloom.
With perseverance through blows & qualms,
She came to wisdom.

A humble, keystone of a tree.
Spreading fruits for more trees to be;
Her embracing branches, and breezy leaves,
Just her presence in itself became an oasis.

(...)

Oğuz Kaan Aybak

Reclaim, Repair, Rebuild

A den stood on a foundation solid,
With a roof spoiled from negligence.
The pack grown too tall to see around their feet,
It was up to bright grounded cubs to avoid ignorance.

The plan was to convince you that you were safe,
The roof, a shield from the stormy rain outside,
Meanwhile they indiscriminately set ablaze
Any and all that was inside.

Dare open your eyes, they'll respond with
Cruel attempts to break your spirit.
By first threatening your peace,
And then abusing your heart's strings.

It is a monumental struggle,
You are right to fear,
But there is no such thing as impossible
When all the trembling voices come together.

Once the growls are in synch,
Sick of waiting in stasis sitting still,
They are destined to become a roar and bring
Forth a display of unwavering will.

That worry of yours
For the things and ones you love,
Is the priceless bond linking you
To all the others who wish to rise above.

A single embrace, one bright spark,
Is all that is needed
To kindle this train about to depart.

End to end as one,
To bring the paralysis to its end.
One by one we stand,
To make the roof ours and ours alone to mend.

Oğuz Kaan Aybak

Nazlı Hanımına (To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell)

Olsaydı da dünyalar kadar zamanımız,
Acıtmasaydı bu kadar nazlarınız.
Sabahlara kadar otururduk beraber,
Konuşurduk her ihtimali birer birer.
Sen ta Ganj Nehri’nde yakut ararken,
Humber’ın orada yakınırdım ben.
Tufandan on sene evvel severdim
Sûr’a üflenene kadar beklerdim.
Aşkım olan büyümekteki fidan
Kaplardı krallıklar kadar dev alan.
Harcardım sırf gözlerinle bakışlarını
Övmeye yüz senelik zamanımı
Ve de göğüslerine iki asır,
Geri kalanına otuz bin yıl;
Her parçaya ayırırdım bir devir,
Belki diye, belki kalbin kendini gösterir.
İşte hanımım sen bunlara layıksın,
Elimde olsa bunları yapmam sanmayasın;
     Ancak geçen günlerin habercisi göklerde,
Sürerken atlarını durmuyor ki hele.
Önümüzdeki yol engin, sonsuzluğa
Uzanıyor kumlarla.
Gidecek o güzel yüzün,
Mermer tabutun sesimden yoksun;
Sakladığın meyven kurtçukların mı olsun?
Namusun toz olup uçacak,
Arzularım benimle toprağa karışacak.
Mezarın içi evet sakin belki,
Ama sanmıyorum orada sevgi tütebilir mi.
     Öyleyse hazır yüzündeki genç ışık
Cildinden çiy gibi yansırken apaçık,
Ruhunun yanıp tutuşan ateşinden duman,
Dışarı sızarken her açıklıktan;
Gel biz eğlenelim şimdi
Azmış yırtıcı kuşlar gibi,
Çatlayıp çürümesindense yavaşça
Yutalım tutkumuzu bir lokmada.
Toplayalım tüm kuvvetimizi gayretimizi,
Sevgimizi, değerlerimizi,
Hazlarımıza sarılıp içinden geçelim
Demirlerin ardındaki hayat denen şeyin.
Ayı, güneşi durdurmaya evet yetmiyor gücümüz
Ama birbirimize sahipken ha geceymiş ha gündüz.

Translated by Oğuz Kaan Aybak with contributions from Derya Altun & Talia Gkioulmpin Gialou Doumalar

Untitled Test

Step by step,

Reaching for a faraway forward.

Are the steps towards my goal?

Or merely a regression back to my crypt?

All I know is that the yearnful

Desolate ember of my compassion is still lit.

İsimsiz Deneme

Sözler ne kadar anlamsız.
Nereden nereye...
Keşke kalbim izin verse, beynim unutsa, dilim vursa

Ama anlamadan olmuyor
Neden?

Ne değişti?
Daha korkuncu, değişti mi hiçbir şey?
Sözlerin gerçek miydi hiç?
Hiç miydi gerçek?

Bir tutsaydı dediklerinle dediklerin, sözlerin, sevgin...

Slayer in Blue

The slayer in blue,
A character so colorful,
Covering every hue.

Although absent you may be,
Busy teaching children from A to Z,
Know that you've got a friend in me.

Wish I had more to give,
But a limited knowledge
Of your likes I hold, please forgive.

We treasure the moments you're here.
And don't think I forgot about that beer:
Hopefully we can hang out more together
In your new year.

Now once again,
The slayer in blue,
Happy birthday to you!

Oğuz Kaan Aybak