In a land south of the Black Sea,
we lived together in peace
for over a thousand years.
Then darkness engulfed us,
and life became a ghastly nightmare.
Reduced to second-class subjects,
we fell prey to the ruthless empire.
Brothers who lived alongside us
turned their backs in scorn,
owing to the entrenched bigotry.
Gendarmes stormed into our homes,
and dragged us out like animals,
leading us on death marches
across the desert as the sun blazed.
Countless skulls lay scattered along the way.
Our homes were torched by the mobs,
devoured by flames of hate.
Our women, abducted, raped, and killed,
succumbing to the fangs of supremacy
Our world turned upside down.
Innocent blood saturated the earth
as humanity came to a standstill.
Headless corpses lay in stagnant ditches,
making the Euphrates run red.
Over one million futures were stolen.
Bidding a tearful goodbye,
we who survived fled our beloved homes,
stricken by fear and distress.
We lost our kin, our land, and our liras.
Yet, the one thing we never lost was our hope.
They strived to wipe us off the map.
But we rose from the ashes and thrived.
The prayers of our forefathers were not in vain.
We Armenians are still here, going strong.
Today, tomorrow, and forevermore.
(In memory of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide)
Adrian David
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A very powerful poem with images we all know. But yes the poet is correct – we are still here and thriving!
I can hear the echos of my Grand Parents describing their memories and nightmares of their experiences. They survived, but they were forever changed. Passed down to their children and grandchildren was a love of their heritage and their faith. Armenia will survive in their hearts if they cannot survive in the land stolen by Turkey and time.
What a great tragedy still echos in our minds and souls, the great Genocide of my ancestors, our ancestors.
We still have this hope that one day justice will take its course in this unfair world.
We still remember never forget.
May they Rest In Peace.