My Tree by Orhan Veli Kanık

In our neighborhood
If there were other trees
I would not love you so.
But if you knew
How to play hopscotch with me
I would love you much more.

My beautiful tree.
When you die
I hope we’ll have moved
To another neighborhood.

translated by Murat Nemet-Nejat

a small world

at a meeting
exploring options
talk swiftly changes
when business cards are exchanged
it’s that last name
bells ring
suddenly a call is made
across seas an ocean
seven hours away
and names faces
a world reappears
what was new
is now familiar
a small world
isn’t it
getting smaller every day
and suddenly
you are who you were
who you always
have been