A POEM TO MY GRANDMOTHER
The family in Syria
TO GRANDMAMA
When I look in your eyes
I see another world
I am safe, I am secure
But you are not
If I could, I would travel in time
To be there
To hold your hand
To catch your tears
That travel from here to there and back again
Tears are not held in time
In the glistening tear drops
A memory is held
Trapped forever
And then you are there
Amid the bombs, the hate
Cowering and covering, protecting your young
The tears travel back again, to the present, to the now
While I peer and glimpse
Curious
Yet I cannot understand
I am safe, I am secure
But you are not
The tears gush
I cock my head, hoping to know
But the portal is closed to me
For you it is wide open
You utter in words I never learned
I walk away for I am safe and I am secure
And now I return, but the tears have taken you
And the portal has slammed the door shut
Forgive me Grandmama
I never learned, I never understood
The portal calls and beckons
For me to learn, for me to understand
With my tiny hands, I will shove, I will heave
The massive stone taunts me
The portal beckons, I twist and turn and squeeze
Through the sliver of an opening
I will find the bones and bury them
Vehanoush,
Krikor,
Marie,
Mary,
The stillborn
I will find your tears
and mix them with the dry, clay earth
burned by the heat
mixed with the hatred of men
For you, Grandmama,
I will understand
Psalm 13 sung by
Lydia Dervartanian
A special thanks to you
Very nice
Hi, very nice post. I have been wonder’n bout this issue,so thanks for posting
I am thrilled that you enjoyed my poem. I listened to my grandmother talk, moan and cry in Turkish all my life. It all puzzled me until I started writing down their history and then the lights came on, so to speak.
This is an amazing poem. Your promise is now realized with this website. If I were a history teacher, I would begin every year with a reflection on this poem. Many of todays youth are generations away from war and strife, generations that span so little time, yet each new generation distanced by their lack of empathy, lack of knowledge.
Thanks for sharing with us all.
POWERFUL and MOVING poem. Your poem captures the heart wrenching emotion experienced by the survivors of the genocide and any genocide for that matter. Our grandparents endured and overcame barbaric acts of such we will never truly understand. They are strong people allow the mental pain can be debilitating when the memories come flooding back. Their strength we can’t truly know unless we experience the same. Far be it from us. This poem transcends to all nations whose people have suffered mass extermination. Unfortunately there are leaders in our present time that still dehumanize, suppress and attempt to annihilate a people group.
Thanks for gifting your tribute to your grandmother’s enduring life with us.
Blessings,
Lydia Dervartanian
I am so touched by your site, thank you so so much
Thank you – I’m so glad to know that my parents and grandparents’ memories are able to be honored this way.
lovely… haunting
God bless