Ali F. Bilir

Poetry in Translation: Separation

Ali F. Bilir — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:38:36 +0000

Cindy Hochman’s “Separation-Ayrılık” has been translated into Turkish and published in the literary magazine Afrodisyas Sanat, in March-April 2012 issue.

Separation

Love and marriage
Love and marriage
Soon dissolve and into
Divorce and disparage

Yet another dangling participle
no arms, no legs, no love,
a paperless amputation

A parting of the ways
A parting of the wise
A parting of the wife

My name, an awkward black dash
heavy hyphen of who-am-I?

This was an 8 1/2 minute gap
This was a bit-stop along 1-95
somewhere between
Red state, blue state
Yours and mine
Here and there
There and gone

Even an amicable div-
Even an uncontested divo-
Even a YOU-CAN-KEEP-THE-GODDAMN-HOUSE
divorce
Isn’t completely bloodless

Leaves a little strain, a little sprain, a little stain
Between annual and void

by Cindy Hochman
See Turkish translation by Ali F. Bilir

Cindy Hochman

Cindy Hochman is a proofreader and researcher from Brooklyn, New York. She is the editor-in-chief of the online journal First Literary Review-East and an associate editor for Mobius, ThePoetryMagazine. She is the co-host of the Green Pavilion Reading Event and the associate editor of Thin Air Cable Show. In addition, Cindy is a contributing book reviewer for Pedestal Magazine, Home Planet News, Coldfront Magazine, Gently Read Literature, and New Mirage Journal. She strongly believes that poetry has the power to forge peace around the globe.

Also, Cindy is the author of two published poetry books, “Wednesday’s Child” (2001) and “The Carcinogenic Bride (2011).

Author and critic John Amen evaluates Cindy’s work as following: “Cindy Hochman immediately enrolls as a reader with rhythm and humor, as well as quirky and compelling imagery. As her collection progresses, she veers in more sultry and surrealistic directions, never losing her sense of playfulness…”

Afrodisyas Sanat - Mart,Nisan 2012 - Kapak

Afrodisyas Sanat - Mart,Nisan 2012 - 43.Sayfa

My Hands Go to My heart

Ali F. Bilir — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:03:19 +0000

I wish I had taken trips,
I say to myself, to unknown places,
that people were less strange to each other
than our own feelings.

I return to this familiar point
and feel, along the bank of the river,
wind sweeping away
all the footprints in the sand.

Whenever I read a poem
about separation,
my hands go to my heart.

By Ali F. Bilir
Translated by M. Ali Sulutas
Edited in English by Susan Bright

Cemal Sureya’s Kasabalı Lorca

Ali F. Bilir — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:50:15 +0000

Sorry. This enrty is in Turkish only.

Abdülkadir Bulut Dies 26 Years Ago

Ali F. Bilir — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:45:41 +0000

Sorry. This enrty is in Turkish only.

The Sky Wept All Day Long

Ali F. Bilir — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 02:01:28 +0000

The day the baby is born
it closes its eyes
to hear its own voice.

Then loneliness sets in,
the cliff, the sea builds up
over its inner world
and swallows its loved ones.

When fire touches its small fingers
and the mother kisses burnt fingers,
the child recognizes love.

By Ali F. Bilir
Translated by M. Ali Sulutas
Edited in English by Susan Bright

A Child Recognizes Love

Ali F. Bilir — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 01:58:59 +0000

The day the baby is born
it closes its eyes
to hear its own voice.

Then loneliness sets in,
the cliff, the sea builds up
over its inner world
and swallows its loved ones.

When fire touches its small fingers
and the mother kisses burnt fingers,
the child recognizes love.

By Ali F. Bilir
Translated by M. Ali Sulutas
Edited in English by Susan Bright

Susan Bright’s Poem is Published in Afrodisyas Sanat

Ali F. Bilir — Mon, 23 May 2011 05:35:55 +0000

American poet, writer, publisher and activist Susan Bright’s poem, translated by Ali F. Bilir, is published in Afrodisyas Sanat Magazine in Turkey. The magazine includes Bright’s bio, her picture and her poem, “Prayer for the Children of the Earth-Dünya Çocukları İçin Yakarı”, at page 53. Bright deceased in December 2010, after a short battle with cancer.

Ali F. Bilir Attended to the “Turkish Culture at FSU” Poetry Event

Ali F. Bilir — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:31:09 +0000

Ali F. Bilir attended to the “Turkish Culture at FSU” poetry event under FSU Center for Global Engagement’s “International Bazaar 2011” at March 26, 2011. After his introductory speech, Bilir read his poems “Fearsome Game” and “Prior to Long Journeys“, as well as, “For Me” from another famous Turkish poet, Abdulkadir Bulut, in Turkish. The English versions of same poems have been presented by his daughter, Ph.D. candidate Defne Bilir.

Defne Bilir and Ali F. Bilir at the poetry event

"FSU Türk Kültürü Grubu" event table

Turkish Culture at FSU (TC at FSU) is a non-profit organization of students and other affiliates of Florida State University. TC at FSU is an organization not only for Turkish community or those of Turkish descent, but also for anyone who is interested in Turkish language, culture, and people.

***********************
FOR ME
Could you sew a shirt for me
Of the soils on which
We have eaten olive and bread

Could you sew a shirt for me
And make two pockets on the breast
From the mountain breeze

Could you sew a shirt for me
Out of my longing for you, which
I have felt so many years

Poet: Abülkadir Bulut
Translation: Defne Bilir – Kuzey Bilir
Edit: Mehmet Ali Sulutaş

Ali F. Bilir’in Poems are at Thanal Online

Ali F. Bilir — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 01:45:14 +0000

Bilir`s three poems appeared in Thanal Online’s February-March 2011 issue. “A Child Recognizes Love”, “The Sky Wept All Day Long” and “My Hands Go to My Heart” were the poems chosen. Thanal Online is an India-based online magazine.

http://www.thanalonline.com/en/page.asp?ID=130

Bilir’s Poem is Published in First Literary Review-East

Ali F. Bilir — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:55:16 +0000

Bilir’s poem “Passing Through the Steppe” is published in the February 2011 issue of the First Literary Review-East. First Literary Review-East is an online journal under the auspices of the Isles Poetry Group, based in Thailand.