TE16 Turkish Delight

Erkut Tokman Centuries I’ve gazed at the old continent’s humanised atrocities From a distance too far, a height too high The flames flung from Medieval darkness Fed this torture, the Inquisition, all the rest pour into time Like the waterfall of a river of the mind Ages pass, wars of the world, anguish… Fascists, dictators, kings… These endlessly multiplying seeds of civilisation’s sin Now in the midst of new societies humanity’s fortresses circle What you visit is an old museum The citizens of neighbouring continents in cities besieged by statues Pass through towns from the south to the north Pass through the streets of the towns Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Egypt, Algeria, Libya… The people of the neighbouring continent pass through the streets Their voices, their faces… Footsteps of hope and misery Passing through the streets are Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, Stalin… Passing through Florence, Rome… Towards the Mediterranean The sharp breathless footsteps of being and non-being

An ancient sin, rolls over the peninsula This amphora hides the din of chaos, a secret within

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