Since You Left, Atam Poem by Bulent Karaalioglu

Among us mere mortals
You've gone among the immortals.
Black roses bloomed today
Day of national mourning
The finite words of an infinite one
Harvested from the sun
Not a perverted love
Conscious intelligent love is the love of Atatürk
Loving Atatürk honours and glorifies the Turk

The last 18 years of the 19th century
The evening sun of the Ottoman Empire
The sun rising in Thessaloniki
With the wind of Ankara
To a nation to be buried in the steppe
He gave sun and vitality.

We fought with seven worlds, we did not give up
We were ramshackle
We were poor and ignorant.
To a nation of people who have no realisation.
You gave consciousness, you gave love
He was to be hanged with English twine.
You have become a person for the orphans, my ancestor
Another roundabout and another war of roses
Do not bury the good deeds with the bones atam

We are in the war of roses again
If you're going to hang, you're going to hang with English twine.
Again the ground is slippery and uncertain
Slippery and faint solidarities
Don't choose your fate in favour of the strong
May you live in interesting times
The war of roses again
British twine again.
Ten November again
Longing for the sun again
We know the sun rises every day
Today we're all on board the Bandirma.
10 November 2018
Sinop