2004-03-30

Cypriot poets say YES!

15 poets, Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots came together to use their imagination and work on a common poem. We decided to work on a concept and we chose the concept ‘YES’ which is a very popular and also unpopular word today in our country.

We had in mind that every YES is also a NO to something else and every NO has also a YES. We approached YES as a very affirmative word. A word we learn first in the other’s language, a word which is an opening rather than a closure, a word which can bring a change?

We wanted to make an intervention with the language of poetry to the area of politics which is in our houses every night through the TV screens. Which fills us with so much anxiety and negative energy with its confronting and often fearfull attitude.

We found a big YES in our hearts for a better future and for a unifying Cyprus. We did not discuss about plans, about property, about percentages? We looked at our own YES’es.

All the poets produced their own verses and then we made a collage.

THE COMMON POEM OF CYPRIOT POETS

YES: WHAT A JOYFUL WORD!


Yes, to a bird with open wings

To the open sky, to the open sea

Yes, to lips open to a smile

To a wish, to hope

Magical words

The revenge of silenced hearts against history

While kissing the wind of love

To share the same flame

Sing the same song

Be drunk with the same passion

Make love under the same moon

Let my heart my body be light

So that I can speak

What is Greek what is Turkish

Are they two houses exchanging each other

Are they two lives filled to the brim

Emptying themselves

into sand bags

Yes, I said as though drawing a beautiful bird

Nearing extinction

I am handing it over to you

So that you can add yet another colour

A bird hidden for so long in my heart

A YES bird; so close to bursting my heart open

Take this joy

Attach it to the bird’s wing

As though planting new saplings

In a beautiful forest

I sit, sweating, breathless

So as to send a wave from deep inside me

Look there, at the abyss of my heart

That thing amongst the flames is “Yes”

Life will fall, like a star

And we will also change

Yes, a palm open to the other

To the different, to the unknown

I passed through the border amongst

The rumble of thousands of migrating butterflies

I know this day of May will be the day

The dead will awaken only once

Your stones

We will burry

In the foundations of our common house

Oh wall

The whole universe

Fits into a single word!

Yes: What a joyful word!

To sing the song of heavenly love

Say Yes! To your good neighbours in exile

Open the doors ajar with your hands

Say yes! Let’s come out onto the doorsteps

Clean out our wounds

Kiss by kiss



Neşe Yaşın, Filiz Naldöven,Lily Michailidou, Fikret Demirağ, Elli Peonidou, Zeki Ali, Takis Hadjigeorgiou,Tamer Öncül, Feriha Altok, Neriman Cahit, M. Kansu, Stephanos Stephanides, Gür Genç, Jenan Selçuk,Michalis Papadopoulos, Aydın Mehmet Ali