An Ode to May 28

Armenia! Armenia outraged! Armenia broken! Armenia martyred! But Armenia liberated! Liberated by itself, liberated by its people with the help of the Armenian armies, with the support and the help of all Armenia, of the Armenia that fights, of the only Armenia, of the real Armenia, of the eternal Armenia!

102 years after our liberation, an Armenia exists. A fragmented Armenia, an Armenia partitioned, but nonetheless an Armenia that breathes.

To the phoenix that emerged from the ashes of genocide,

To the butchered nation that built a republic,

To the nation that avenges their unburied loved ones,

To the nation that for times countless looks death in the eye, but refuses to perish.

To the nation that responds to the injustices of Adana and Smyrna with the justices of Bash-Abaran and Sardarabad,

To the May that no longer allowed Armenians to become victims to the victimization Pan-Turkism brought onto them,

To the May that brings light and hope following the darkness and hopelessness of April,

To the May that fights to achieve justice for ourselves after the world failed in giving it to us,

To the May that birthed the independence of Armenia and the liberation of Shushi,

To the May’s that will set Western Armenia free,

May the month of May drown the sorrows of April with bellows of triumph,

May the 9th of May and the 28th of May be burned in the psyche of the Armenian nation,

May the bell tolls of Sardarabad reverberate everlastingly throughout Armenia,

May the month of May teach Armenians that our salvation lies only within our strengths,

May Armenia see many more May’s.

Soldiers of Armenia, wherever you may be, rise! Rise to strengthen Armenia! Armenia prosperous! Armenia immortal!

Armenia! Armenia acclaimed! Armenia mended! Armenia martyred! To the Armenia that will be united! United by itself, united by its people with the help of the Armenian armies, with the support and the help of all Armenia, of the Armenia that fights, of the only Armenia, of the real Armenia, of the eternal Armenia!

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Van Der Megerdichian

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Van Der Megerdichian attended Holy Martyrs Armenian High School and went on to receive his formal education at UCLA. During his time at UCLA, Van went on to intern at the Republic of Armenia’s Ministry of Economy and United Nations Secretariat in Yerevan, Armenia where he worked at the UNHCR and UNDP agencies. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude from UCLA with a departmental honors degree in History and a minor in Armenian Studies, while also receiving college honors. At UCLA, he completed a thesis on the competing nationalism and the overlapping conflict of interest between Armenians and Kurds over a common homeland. Van is a prospective student at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs studying international finance and economic development.