MY MOM

The years, like grains of time
Lined up one by one, side by side
Each one unfolding, transforming
Spilled into my hearth, mom

Years without you, oh, how painful, mom
Sometimes helpless, unsolvable, mom
Sometimes the years line up like skewers
Laid on glowing coals, hearts sizzle and ache

In my merhaba as well
A molten knot of embers, glowing fierce
I burn on all sides
Thirsty and silent, mom

I am wrapped in love, mom
In a warmth beyond words
Beneath the gentle rain
Earth herself is Mother, her very scent is Mother

I wish you knew my longing for you
How deeply I missed your scent
How I’ve longed to sleep in your embrace
How I miss your warmth, mom

Mom, I never had enough of you
I couldn’t sleep in your arms
You never stroked my hair
I couldn’t feel safe without you, mom

Mom, today I am so cold
And alone in a foreign land without you
Like a deer, mom 
Trembling at the hunter’s approach

I am like butterfly on a cypress tree
A timid sparrow
Alone, without you mom
Like a prey waiting to be hunted