Two  poems

Before Me There Were Deserts

They were eating my body as carcass, I saw
I did not say "bring me to earth!"
around fire I found myself
                      like the hump of a camel
I have bent myself while passing inside the earth

they have collected a handful of sand in their hands
                                                and blown...
at nights I have slept in the footprint of animals
my body was in waves
                         when the sand ended
inside my veil, my eyes found where the world is
-even if I am a Bedouin in the desert of desire-

in front of the night, dates fell into my mind
                         I could not find sound for my ears

as wide as saharas I have looked at my heart

Lament

To be a woman
means being invaded, O mum!

they took of my everything

a woman took my childhood
a man, my womanhood...

God should not create woman
God does not know how to give birth

here, the ribs of all men
are broken

our neck is thinner than hair

men are carrying us
like a funeral on their shoulders

we have been under their feet

light like a feather
we flew from a world to an Adam

and my words are, oh mum!
their footprints..

Muesser Yeniay

MÜESSER YENİAY was born in İzmir, 1984; graduated from Ege University, with a degree in English Language and Literature. She has won several awards in Turkey including the Yunus Emre (2006), Homeros Attila İlhan (2007) and the Ali Riza Ertan (2009) prize.

Her first book Dibine Düşüyor Karanlık da was published in 2009 and her second book Evimi Dağlara Kurdum is a collection of translation from world poetry. Her latest book Yeniden Çizdim Göğü was published in 2011. She has translated the poems of Persian poet Behruz Kia under the name of Lalelere Requiem. She has translated Selected Poems of Gerard Augustin together with Eray Canberk, Başak Aydınalp, Metin Cengiz (2011). She has also translated Personal Anthology of Michel Cassir together with Eray Canberk and Metin Cengiz (2011).

Her poems have been translated into English, French, Serbian, Arabic, Hebrew, Italian, Greek, Spanish and Romanian. She participated in the poetry festivals in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel, Serbia and United States.

Müesser is the editor of the literature magazine Şiirden (of Poetry). She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Turkish literature at Bilkent University, Ankara, and is also a member of PEN and the Writers Syndicate of Turkey.