Everything we thought really existed has been swallowed
The universe does not exist and we are all just a dream
Caroline Laurent Turunc, a Paris-based Turkish poetess, shares her poetry
Caroline Laurent Turunc is a distinguished poetess, social activist, and Global Peace Ambassador for France on behalf of the Institute of International Peace Leaders. Born in Antakya, Turkey, she has dedicated her life to promoting peace, harmony, and cultural understanding through literature and advocacy. Fluent in French, Turkish, and Arabic, Caroline has written hundreds of thought-provoking poems that resonate with themes of unity, love, and social justice. Her literary works serve as a bridge between diverse cultures and have inspired countless individuals worldwide. Beyond her literary contributions, she is an influential motivational speaker who has addressed numerous international conferences and summits, advocating for peace, human rights, and social cohesion. Through her speeches and activism, she continues to inspire communities to embrace dialogue, empathy, and mutual respect. Now residing in France, Caroline remains committed to fostering global peace and cultural understanding, using her words and voice as powerful instruments for change.
The edge of life!
I looked longingly at every shadow reflected on the pavement
I asked the footprints we left on the banks of every river I crossed about you and me
With every step I took, sighing deep down
I relive every moment we sat idly in green gardens
I trembled with regret, for a moment I looked like someone I didn’t know in the twilight of the street
I ran my hair through my fingers with both hands, my hair fell out in clumps
Wherever I turn, I encounter dull eyes and tired faces.
The sun cools before dawn
The moon was running away from the night
As if nothing had happened and I was nobody
I asked for help from every sky, hoping to find you and I, but all I found was the scent of loneliness.
I read it in a fairy tale before
If you cut a tree by the roots, its branches wither, its leaves fall and birds do not perch on that branch
All the fairy tales written in enchanted forests cannot be told without greenery and wind
A river does not flow without water
Life brings the unfortunate wound of fate to those who expect fruit from an unplanted tree
The years you waste turn you into an angry, exhausted old being
You live among the completely lost, ashamed of your skin covered with deep wounds
The mind wants to get away from all indifferent shores and cling to the unexperienced.
Knowing that there will be no other me, no other you
For a moment the heart speaks to the mind
What if everything is an illusion!
And if the colored lights are the beginning of a new tyranny
Everything we thought really existed has been swallowed
The universe does not exist and we are all just a dream
***
Ash and Fire
Yesterday, I saw you on the rugged mountains. You were a shepherdess running after your lambs.
In the flash of pain, your eyes were like the coldest winter.
Your hands are the pale color of a tree forbidden to bloom in its own land.
As if you were trapped in a cell or an unknown port, you waited with amazed eyes for a strong hand to open the way to freedom.
I cried out among the stars.
At the sound of the sorrow accumulated in my heart, all the doors shattered.
Windows, stones, grains of sand piled up on my heart.
I wanted to beat my chest to tear the pain away.
A piece of flesh tore from my chest in pain. The whisper of the voice on my lips and the bitter smell of the wind.
Why, why? Why am I deprived of the salt of the sea and the scent of desert lilies?
Why is my land barren, devoid of any seed?
Why did I not have a garden of poppies to remind me of the beauty of my homeland, nor a lawn to sit cross-legged on?
Why have the trees where children climbed and swung joyfully disappeared?
Why are the plum orchards, pomegranate trees, and fig trees barren?
Ah, ah, my homeland abandoned to its fate. As I see those who lock the gates with silent chains and the strangers asleep in their arms, the bitter cry of the mountains echoes in my heart.
As if caught between the steps of an old wooden staircase, covered in autumnal yellow.
Your scent, which I protect from the wind,
The grief I dig deep into beats my knees.
Wherever I go, the silent cry of my homeland echoes.
Everything is in ruins, everything is strewn with broken mirrors.
I cry, I search for the cruel enemy, but no one cares. Who is my enemy who hates me so much? Who are these enemies? Why do they attack everywhere like bloodthirsty demons?
And I ask you, O paths that connect every pain to happiness: why is there so much sadness in my notebook?
And you, O you, my beloved whose face no one has seen, my beloved who flew from my nest like untimely migratory birds,
Without you, I am scattered like charred ashes on the roofs of houses.
Yet, centuries ago, you were a rose garden in my heart, a dove perched on the branches of my ribs every night, the water of life flowing through my veins and the sun shining amidst every ruin.
Now, like an enemy, you reduce my rivers to fire and ashes.
O beloved, do not take lightly the words I am about to speak; string them like pearls, wear them on your arm like a bracelet.
An eagle is never born from an ant’s egg,
A poisonous snake only emerges from a poisonous snake!
And never forget that without you, all the sufferings of the afterlife will remain hidden behind the night. All paths leading to free thought will be illuminated by the splendor of victory.
***
Love
LoveLong ago Love was magnificent and glorious
Two bodies were like one face
“(The light of the beloved’s face) shone like a hermit’s lantern, illuminating the darkness of the night.”
“Now it resembles an abandoned house, like a faint pencil mark just under the skin,
And in all this confusion I am tossed from side to side like wheat sown in a barren field.
“My shadow, without realizing it, reproaches me for my passion for the one I love, (but) does not know that if it were not for my love for him, the sun would not rise for me.”
“Now accept me as I appear, for when I am wounded I am ugly and disgraced.
“I am one of those who know better than anyone that life is a debt, when injustice is done to me, my injustice is also very heavy,
“Oh my beloved! Since you loved my absence more than me (until death do us part), let me enjoy everything.”
You know?
Everything here tells me about you.
Even the voids and every light cloud blown by the wind
Even the bare walls and barren mountains
Every remnant you left in the abandoned lands,
Yesterday!
The wild oxen and gazelles came to the riverbank to drink, as they did every day.
And your essence was everywhere, as indifferent as ever to all beauty.
_____________
Coordinated by Angela Kosta Executive Director of the Magazines: MIRIADE, NUANCES ON THE PANORAMIC CANVAS, BRIDGES OF LITERATURE, journalist, poet, essayist, publisher, literary critic, editor, translator, promoter
