Here’s Şirinevler Square,
And there’s the Merter exit,
Isn’t it?
Where is NT Mecidiyeköy?
Where is the Bosphorus Bridge?
When did they erect this mosque?
Latitude, longitude,
Everything’s in disarray!
Why did I come here,
Oh my foolish mind,
What became of my curiosity?
To witness this cacophony/
To hear Pavlov’s unconditioned dogs,
What good did it do to me?
In dreams,
Are there always cops checking ID?
Where’s İsmet, has he left?
And his sweet angel Canan?
I made a pact with Ismail,
He’s sulking,
We couldn’t drink our Tirebolu 42 tea!
I forgot to buy Ahmet’s regular order
Of tobacco cologne again!
Why does this movie run without seeing,
Touching, speaking to a friend?
Why does it always end
Without embracing a thirty-year-old friend?
But this time it’s not a dream,
I’m really here!
Don’t you get it, boy,
You’re not in a dream.
Oh, finally,
This is a nightmare!
Again, I couldn’t eat the simit,
Acı Dayı’s pastry,
I couldn’t drink Eker ayran!
My eyes are left longing for
Kebab and baklava.
And the books I meticulously showered
In the bathroom?
Oh well,
They were never written,
Never read,
Not even my fingerprints remained
They don’t exist, they don’t!
I prolonged the nightmare so much,
Still can’t get out
Of Atatürk Airport!
Mustafa YILMAZ
