Do You Want to See Iraq?
© Lozan Yamolky
Do you want to see Iraq?
Do you want to see my Iraq?
Do you want to see the Iraq that flooded my heart
since childhood with much of the love
that is flowing in and through me?
Do you want to see the Iraq that made me respect the poor,
enjoy nature
and value life?
Iraq that made me feel love for mountains,
hills and even skies?
That love was for ordinary, beautiful life
and a growing admiration for genuinely caring people.
Do you want to see my Iraq?
The Iraq that made my heart skip a beat
and never again returned to its previous rhythm
from the moment I crossed the borders
of that land into a foreign land?
This foreign land welcomed me:
accepted, fed and sheltered me.
Do you want to see the Iraq that put a lump in my throat?
Though I never cried enough,
the second the Turkish border guard
stamped that page on my passport
allowing me into their land;
I released my tears.
The stamp sounded much like
a loud single beat on a metal drum.
I recall looking through the night skies
when the plane took off,
taking me far, far away from Iraq.
From Istanbul heading to Canada;
I looked long and hard hoping
to see Iraq one more time.
From above the clouds,
against the cold window,
I pressed my face and prayed I could see Iraq
in the distance
– just one more time,
perhaps for the last time.
I never truly said goodbye.
I could not truly bid it farewell,
even though this was no vacation;
nor was it an easy or a safe choice to make.
I prayed in silence as the plane flew over Europe;
prayed that one day,
I would see my Iraq again…
but in peace.
‘Who leaves a land they love too much?’
I am asked from time to time
to which I answer,
‘Who wants to run back into their home
when it’s on fire?’
______________
© Lozan Yamolky
A pome from my debut poetry book: I’m No Hero
Published by: Silver Bow in 2016
To order your copy of my books, contact me.
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Published by Lozan Yamolky
First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge that I humbly live on the traditional, unceeded territories of the səlil̓wətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) & xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Thank you for allowing me to live on your land —Vancouver, BC Canada.
I am a Canadian citizen who migrated from Kurdistan —Present day Northern Iraq, in 1995 after spending over a year as an asylum seeker in Turkey.
I was born and raised in Baghdad in 1972, I am the fifth of eleven children; three boys and seven girls –one brother passed away in infancy.
I am the author of ( I’m No Hero) and ( Counting Waves ) published by: Silver Bow Publishing. I am dedicating my third book of poems ( Dreamers Needed ) to my teenage boys, Trey, 15 and Wyatt, 13.
I started reciting my poems for the first time in 2013 at The Holy Wow Poets Canada in Maple Ridge. I am currently a member of the Canadian Authors Association, Federation of BC Writers, The Royal City Literary Art Society and the Holy Wow Poets Canada. I am presently the secretary of the Royal City Literary Arts Society. I work as a freelance interpreter.
I was commissioned in the fall of 2017 to write a poem about the refugee experience to DaCapo Chamber Choir in Toronto. The event will feature my poem “I am here” in spring 2019.
I was one of the recipients of the 2018 Distinguished Poet Award from WIN– Writers International Network Canada and was 3rd place winner at the 2018 Tagore Festival Peace Poems contest. Since first sharing my poetry in 2013, I have featured in numerous poetry events throughout the Greater Vancouver area.
My work has been published in The Royal City Poets Anthologies (Silver Bow Publishing), The Royal City Literary Arts Society online magazine eZine, Wordplay at Work, Creative Quills Ink Verse (North Vancouver), Celebrate Canada 150 and Culture Days From Far and Wide (Multicultural Creative Writing Collection 2017) and the 2018 Holy Wow Poets Anthology (Maple Ridge).
View all posts by Lozan Yamolky
Lozan Yamolky 