Istanbul is lovely
this time of year
ancient Constantinople
center of the Ottoman Empire
City of culture,
exotic beauty,
exalted spires,
domed mosques
To the east,
Mount Ararat
protector of the Ark,
forbidden
Travel south
to Izmir
cosmopolitan Smyrna on the Aegean,
cleansed of its name, its people
Have a picnic
in the Armenian quarter
where homes were ransacked,
the city razed
Take a balloon ride
to Turkey’s southern border
following routes of deportation
imagine Christian bones,
now desert dust
Return to Istanbul
peruse open markets,
inhale fragrant spices
the Magic City
welcomes you.
Carr, a Skillman resident, is a second-generation Armenian American whose grandparents fled from Turkey to escape the atrocities of the Armenian genocide.
