Fog
By Alaz Ada
History is but repetition,
and the metropolis is naught but fog.
Forget the other side of the Bosphorus, the bridge, the minarets,
I cannot even see you,
knowingly in every breath,
like the eye grows used to darkness,
like the body grows used to pain,
I become one bit more fog,
the dark whiteness burns my eyes,
but I cannot shut them.
Do I not know all the things you are hiding from me,
like the passing of time
at a perfect pace: one minute every minute.
What one’s hands cannot reach – a human cannot think of
my head leans on the window and
the minibus shakes
my thoughts are fragmented
fragmented and
my eyes are about to
shut
just a bit more
and I get off as if I know where I am at.
Magnifying mirrors of their makers, the spectral skyscrapers
The traffic turning into a necklace of white and red pearls
you too will drown in your own fog,
at least as invisible as me,
what’s the difference when you can’t see beyond your nose?
in the end, history is but fog,
and the metropolis is naught but repetition.
Sis (2)
Tarih tekerrürden,
büyükşehir sisten ibarettir.
Bırak karşıyı, köprüyü, minareleri,
seni bile göremiyorum,
bile bile her nefeste
gözün karanlığa,
bedenin acıya alışmasınca
bir parça daha sis oluyorum,
zulmet-i beyza gözlerimi yakıyor
ama kapatamıyorum.
Benden neler saklıyorsun bilmiyor muyum,
zamanın geçişi mesela,
mükemmel bir hızla: dakikada bir dakika.
Ellerinin dokunamadığını düşünemiyor insan -
başım cama yaslı ve
minibüs sallanıyor
aklımdan geçenler kesik
kesik ve
gözlerim kapandı
kapanacak
az kaldı
ve iniyorum nerede olduğumu bilirmişçesine.
Sahibinin dev aynası, heyula gökdelenler,
kırmızı beyaz incilerden bir kolyeye dönen trafik,
siz de kendi sisinizde boğulacaksınız,
en az benim kadar görünmez,
göz gözü görmeyince ne fark eder,
sonuçta tarih sisten,
büyükşehir tekerrürden ibarettir.
This poem is a reference to a poem by Tevfik Fikret also titled "Sis." Alaz Ada is a student of the social sciences from Istanbul currently studying in Southern France at the Menton campus of Sciences Po Paris. Her poetry has been published most recently in Selfish Magazine and is due to appear in the upcoming digital issue of FishFood Magazine. Her political essays appear in a regular column in her campus' newspaper, Le Zadig.