Winter

Withered and wilted, cold and calm

Exposed, buried by flurries of snow

I stand naked like a mannequin 

Wrapped by strings of twinkling lights

Children play while adults photograph

Amidst the numbness I sense their joy

Waiting for mine when I dress up again

For the longer days and shorter nights

The Last Night of 2016 (Istanbul, Turkey)

A long year it has been, of more miseries and less laughters
But today it will be contained in the books of history
And tomorrow there will be a new light on the east
As I try to forget my grief and forgive the ones who brought
At the center of the world, union of the giant lands
An ancient city conquered by many, a gateway to the west.
The disco lights pierced the darkness with smiles and dance
But then the screams silenced the deafening drum-rolls
As the bullets roared in the score of falling shells.
Run and hide; "But where?" Into the chaos, far from the still

One man with choked conscience, one man with beheaded sanity
One man with manipulated wisdom, one man with religious ignorance
Only one man, only one muslim, only one murderer
Who defaces his friends, his family, his faith
And sails on the ship of sorrow to endless seas
Allured by the rum of pride while he gulps the poison of guilt
Choosing such futile death is not a trade of the brave
Yesterday's pain won't be lessened by the wars of today
Sacrificing innocents won't bring peace, not even in afterlife
So let the sand shine like gold, let it not be bloodied again

In the end

Never ending vast lands in the north
As the snow melted and the earth shone green
Deers roaming wild, dying on the shoulders
Rest is miles away, services even farther
A watch on time & a watch on milestones
Destination destined to be that darling door.
Cowly the crow feeds on Rowly the raccoon
As the cattle devour the fresh meadows
The mind wonders if this is solitude
The heart lonesome seeks solidarity
In search of the matchmaker I travel west
Chasing the sun, as the day never ends
And then the wind whistled across the valley
Determined to destroy the delicate & the durable
The mind spoke at last, the heart listened.
I started running, more every minute
Hoping for hope to find my darling door
I left the highway for a thinner track
I stopped, the wind whined & I smiled.

Fear

I could see the dark and high monsters
With their cloudy friends they roared
Going back in time, I could see none
Just neverlands of yellow, green & red
Now the sun has lost his path
Not into the horizon, but up there
I Felt strange as I started climbing
The wind was cold, darkness blooming
Dumbfounded, never had I felt the same
Was it fear? I asked myself & again
Was it fear of loneliness?
For I may disappear like the sun
For nobody can hear my scream
Or was it fear of failure?
For I owe the people I love
For I still have miles to walk
I could slip down the cliff into the canyons
Or slide sideways to hit the silent stones
Or a tree so tall may tear my torso
I wish it was the fear of death
For the fear of unknown is worse. 

Plenty

Plenty is what brain demands Plenty is what the heart wishes Plenty is what the self conspires Plenty is what the world constructs We age, we break, we wither away But still walk, hoping to sprint Not knowing where it ends Not knowing where we belong For a million may mean zero And everything may be elusive It whispers hope when you sleep Wake up and you are killed Like a line in the golden sand Washed away by the tiniest tide Demands are never enough Wishes are always waitlisted You conspire without constructing And the world just laughs it away.

Emptiness

A rainy dawn of a darker tone

Where a lighthouse stands alone

Not a drop in that flooding rain

But from the eyes in pure pain

A distant boat in the storm

A pile of wreck it will form

Not the piece that floats and drowns

But the one that touches the browns

An island, whip of wind away

A native looks west in dismay

Standing alone with eyes in pain

Beholding the wreck as the stars wane

On the rocks!

A whiskey on the rocks

A rock doesn't melt

A rock isn't cold

A rock feels nothing. 

My heart stops 

Like a watch

Follows me to the grave

Like a rock

A whiskey on the rocks

Warm it may feel 

Sedating you, Leaving you

High in your dreams.

Like a broken spoke

On a squeaking wheel

Like an old scar

On a pretty face

Unpleasant!