A Mother's Prayer

Homeland is not merely the land you call your own,

It is a mother’s prayer and a child’s smile.

Homeland is a hope awakening in the morning sun,

An ancient homeland hidden in a silent melody.

The issue is not simply a handful of soil,

The true goal is to sustain a future.

For I know these lands are a trust,

Betraying that trust is unworthy of a great Turk.

Traces from the past remain upon its soil,

Sometimes a folk song sometimes an epic tale.

Sometimes a prayer rises in outstretched hands,

Saying, “Just be present, that is enough!”