Poems

Salep

The sea has no mercy in winter
Suddenly you see
those solemn ships
turned into nutshells
The coastline visible, then invisible
Blindly you stretch out your hand
not to hold but to hold on
Whatever turns up
more is less
 
Who tells the wind where they're going
Travelling down the spine
skin shivers, bones contract
When I forget my soul
my shrinking body speaks
I understand I am frozen
 
But then a voice
with a burnt tongue
a cinnamon-perfumed voice
from a far-off fog
asks, is anyone drinking salep
And, even if you're not,
you too will be warmed -
hot salep
milky salep