Envision

By Gözde Kurt

Translated by Thomas Parker and Gözde Kurt

I imagine sunny days,

Light, the windows cannot contain,

wants to enter in through the walls

A table that’s never seen food eaten on it

A chair that’s never been sat on

They wait for tomorrow.

The curtains are a dusty rose

The walls: a lighter color

In this fantasy,

Many far away dreams there are

There everything is as velvet as dreams.

A silent typewriter

Wants to drown in ink.

Happiness… it’s as if it has a smell

I take it in.

A porcelain teapot holding steam,

Teacups decorated with flowers

Are so fair.

If I stop thinking of them but a second

It’s as if they’re going to break.

Moreover, the light, the windows can’t contain,

wants to enter in through the walls.

TASAVVUR

Güneşli günler kuruyorum;

Pencereye sığmıyor ışık,

Duvarlardan girmek istiyor.

Üzerinde hiç yemek yenmemiş masa,

Hiç oturulmamış sandalye,

Yarını bekliyor.

Perdeler gülkurusu,

Duvarlar daha açık...

Bu kurmacada,

Pek çok uzak düş var.

Orada düşler kadar kadife her şey.

Sessiz daktilo,

Mürekkebe bulanmak istiyor.

Mutluluğun... sanki kokusu var,

Alıyorum.

Buharı tüten porselen çaydanlık,

Çiçekli fincanlar,

Ne kadar da nazikler;

Bir saniye bıraksam düşünmeyi...

Sanki kırılacaklar.

Üstelik bir de pencereye sığmıyor ışık,

Duvarlardan girmek istiyor.

*

Gözde Kurt was born in Kurtuluş, Istanbul. She started to write poems and short stories while in primary school. Her first novel Kozanın Tereddütü (The Cocoon’s Hesitation) was published in 2009. Her book of short stories entitled Ölü Çiçekler Müzesi (The Museum of Dead Flowers) was published and taken into consideration for the Yaşar Nabi Nayır Prize in 2011. Afterwards, she started travelling for three years. After her travels through Cuba and countries in Europe and Latin America she returned to the writer’s life with Köprüde Durup Beni Öpmesini Bekleyeceğim (I’ll Stand on the Bridge and Wait for The Kiss). She earns her living as a translator and is continuing her education in the English Language and Literature Department in Istanbul University.

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