It's good for making hands fine enough to touch silk And for feeling the moment that stone turns impatient It's good for looking in the eyes of hungry cats And extending curiosity out among all animals It is the darkness that makes my night voice heard And makes it easier to say 'the moon will come up late' For years my feet have been cold, so cold When I say this, it helps me compare winter to snow Spring will begin today, I know Reading poetry helps me believe that feeling It reminds me I don't miss the Istanbul bustle Lets me know things to tell my love in a letter When I'm tired, to stop and rest, not to drink water when I sweat, It helps me to cry and fret over wildfires, over death To know anger's reserved just for evil To stop and ask forgiveness of women To feel youth when young, to understand it later on, It's good for helping me to sit and write new poems Good for helping me seduce and flatter Then to kiss my love when the leaves turn yellow
Poem: Ilhan Sami Çomak, Geldim Sana
Translated by: C.Stockford
March 2021
