Yasemin Balandi Poet Free verse

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors
They promised her a future bright
She crossed the river with her tribe
The war was bloody
At stake were the land distribution and innocent lives
Her Armenian lover was left behind in her motherland.
She was Turkish
She lived in hope, he would join her soon.
 
 
Some months passed.
No news came from her lover.
Her father said the Armenian was the enemy now!
He promised her to another man.
She said nothing. Silence spoke leaden words.
Her faith was sealed, her hopes lamented.
On her wedding day,
She wore a white gown and looked into the mirror
A plume of smoke rose from the ashes of her dreams.
 
Her wedding night was brutal indeed.
Her husband to be tore clumps of her hair.
She refused to consummate.
In the morn, she ran back to her father
Tears rolled down her young cheeks
The father said nothing.  His silence spoke leaden words.
 
That night her husband tore another clump of her hair
She refused to consummate.
In the morn, she sent news back to her lover
In a bottle across the river.
The war was now over.
He sent back news for her
He waited across the river
She swam back to her lover
 
Reunited were the young lovers.
 
* Loosely based on the life of my great aunt who crossed back the river (between Turkey and Armenia) to be reunited with her Armenian lover during the first world war.

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