Where I'm From by Selen Uman

I'm from the apple pie in the oven,
Filling the burrow with a red smell.
From Daddy's bitter-chocolate protectiveness
Over his teenage girl,
Combing grandma's laces until none was left.
From growing up on the streets,
Greeting “Irfan Amca Günaydin!”                                                                                            Our janitor
And opening all the doors with one word:UMAN
From biting a sour apple hanging from the branch,
From “finish your breakfast before leaving
And take your coat here's Merzifon.
One should carry a baggage”
From the pitch black old friend
That I never got talking
And playing hookey over the fences,
20 school uniforms waiting on my door
To go to dersane
From solving problems in the toilette ,
The blue snow embellishing the woods,
And the snowman in our back yard
Making butterflies, breaking our chains
Through the ground
From jumping to next door without shoes,
From “ask kirintilari” passing under the desk,
Eating Keskek with longing sauce,
Barbecues in my Heidi house,
With pink shutters and lozenge windows
Lemon, cloud and grapefruit pouffes carrying my dreams
Saying “I'll leave here one day”.

I'm from smelling the soil after the rain
Giving me an irrelevant, dizzy peace
And chestnut sellers on Istiklal Street
Broke, lousy tourists with dingy, brimful backpacks,
Narrow alleys, cobblestone pavements
In Arnavutköy with wooden mansions
Facing my yellow glances, saluting navy blue,
From visiting Tulu Abla's office
To pat the brawly cats
Who sleep on the warm hoods
Of the just-parked black car in winters,
From judas trees on my way shool
Like a necklace made of lilac pearls
When I'm weeping softly, making me smile
Time falls from my hands like sands on the shore.
Just wanting to stay in the traffic jam, in that chaos
Not to go back home
And watching the soft, grey vapors' shapes
Coming out of my mouth, sailboats, clouds, stars...
Saying “I'll go back one day” .