“Cool Istanbul”



I see her twinkling lights across the dark wine sea;

Istanbul, you’re so cool.



The salty sea is your hair, long and lustrous.

A black abyss of the night sky

With invisible stars that ensnare me

With a net of endless light. 



The Bosporus spills over my shoulders,

Flowing and pushing me with the furious current

Of your laughter, swaying with the witty wind

And singing sonnets for salty stones.



I see young girls dancing under your city lights;

Istanbul, I‘m such a fool.



All of Istanbul twirls in silky robes

Painted pewter platinum and vibrant violet.

The beat of your sighs drive my heart

Among rhythms of tumbling rain.



Your slender marble arms wave in the city air,

White as the luminous moon,

Reaching for the dying sun.

Don’t fly away, don’t leave me here.



I see your Byzantine skyline glimmer like gems;

Istanbul, you‘re so cruel.



You shine like tiger eyes that contain

Specks of amber and emeralds.

They mesmerize me, suffocating me with obsession,

Imprisoning me with doubt and paranoia of your motives.



Mosques are lips that men need to kiss,

But your lips don’t need kisses.

You are evil Istanbul!

I need to be yours but you don’t need me.



Rome’s aqueducts cannot satisfy my passion,

Nor can the flooding Nile drown my obsession.

Istanbul, wash away the love that plagues me with your affection,

And allow me to relax at a calm cascade on a soothing stream.