There is an exceptional Turkish-American poet from Roanoke, Va. But, his name is Kamal Ayyildiz!
I have in recent years, tried my hand at the form..........On Friday night, I performed two related poems at No Shame Theatre in Roanoke, which was worth the drive up Route 220 North through Boones Mill and Rocky Mount, Va., from the Greensboro area.
The first poem was "The Greek Goddess," which was based on a woman I knew in college who I was unable to go out with. I thought it would be interesting to write a poem called "The Turkish Goddess" to go along with it.
I think I initially had Nejla Yatkin, a modern dancer in Washington, D.C., who is of Turkish heritage, in mind when I started the poem, but the character that emerges is a far different one than her in virtually every regard. In fact, I think the woman who emerges is inspired by someone I knew many years ago in either Turkey or Virginia.
Both of my poems dealt with rejection and loss, and the pain that comes from both geographical and emotional distance. In that sense, the poem has many thematic parallels with the films of my favorite Turkish film director Nuri Bilge Ceylan ("Uzak"/Distant"). The version that is written here is slightly different than the one I read on stage.
Here it is:
"The Turkish Goddess" by Tilly Gokbudak.
Her name was Aysegul.
She was from Antalya.
Her eyes were brown.
Her hair was black.
I met her at the Fairfax Metro Station.
Red line.
Green.
Orange.
I almost missed the goddamn train.
She had taken off her stillettos,
walking barefoot for a moment,
Then, lighting a cigarette in my face.
I don't remember the topic of conversation:
The weather.
The government.
The PKK.
She mentioned something about a house on the Bosphorous,
and her liking for dogs.
Wish I had more to say, but this is my stop.
Extra Info:
Kammal Ayyildiz's 2004 book of poems "The Cistern" is available through Citlembik Publications (Istanbul). I really like "Song of the Bosphorous" from that collection. His mother Judy Ayyildiz is also a published poet and author.
http://www.judylightayyildiz.com
No Shame Theater presents The Best of No Shame this weekend at Mill Mountain Theatre in downtown Roanoke.
Nejla Yatkin's tour schedule was featured in a blog entry last week.
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