—© Lozan Yamolky
On the bark of the mighty banyan trees, inscriptions
of a hurting native soul
send shivers down your spine.
Near a high end eatery,
a homeless man lies in deep sleep, covered with a blanket.
On the sidewalk of the famous Honolulu strip, an
elderly woman walks
with all of her life’s possessions
in a shopping cart.
In the most prestigious hotel
a single mother works,
barely getting by;
yet she smiles so sweetly.
In the most pristine, ancient forest,
tourists toss trash with little regard.
At a beautifully landscaped intersection
cars wait for traffic lights to turn green;
while a beggar in a wheelchair,
with his head down, holds a sign that reads:
“Iraq war veteran,
please help!”
The massive, spectacular waves cannot talk;
if they could, they would tell stories
of how many took their very last breaths seeking the thrill of just being in the
waves.
Mountains higher than skyscrapers stand tall, allowing only a few to reach their peaks;
others were not so fortunate.
Yes, even in paradise my friends,
there is trouble!
(From my debut book: I’m No Hero
Published in 2016 by Silver Bow Publishing)
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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 