Poems by ​Erkut Tokman

ITS VOİCE*

IT))))))))))))))))))))))))))is calling you
        ∞)))ECHO(((∞∞)))ECHO(((∞
IT (IT) IT (IT) IT (IT) IT (IT) IT (IT)  is the one among us!
Flat no:⓯
perhaps you are laughing at IT:)))) IT:)))) IT:)))) IT:)))) 
͝    ͜    ͝    ͜    ͝    ͜
                   SARCASTICALLY
Talk with IT:)(: IT IT:)(: IT IT:)(: IT
Without underline or striketrough sentences
₪ᴥ₪ᴥ₪ᴥ₪ᴥ₪ᴥ₪ᴥ₪ᴥ₪ᴥ₪ᴥ₪ᴥ₪ᴥ₪ᴥ 
WITH NEW LANGUAGE AND THİS İS WHAT WE LACK OF 
don’t put distance between you and IT ……………… IT ……………… IT
don’t imprison within IT(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
understand IT? IT? IT? IT? IT? IT? IT? IT?  
IT … IT … IT … IT … IT … IT … IT … has something to tell you
))))))))))))))) IT ((((((((((((((  wants freedoom 
Because it is your  inner voice and conscience 

Erkut Tokman-2 Aralık-2019 (Translated by author himself)
*This poem is still under construction, in advance I beg your pardon for giving you discomfort...


Extract from“LUPOC”: The book of the poet 


I came cross it
Over the vast dessert of a planet
l-u-p-o-c
that trace of ambitious inheritance
Covered by sand and hidden inside an epigram 
For hundreds thousand years and years, a pentegram
The fact of that  healing wound,
A space archaeologist 
Here is sweeping to search the signs in sand
Having an impression asif something genetically being coded 
While in underground hissingly crawnling 
that  wiggling as snakelike and
Leery steps of a scorpion among us
As posioned and real and surreal
Taking cover 
...

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Translated by author himself

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Erkut Tokman is a Turkish poet, actor,visual artist,editor and translator was born in İstanbul in 1971. He used to live  and work respectively in London,Bucharest,Milan İzmir and Istanbul where he studied poetry, modern dance and acting yet he currently lives in İstanbul. He is the president of İntercultural Poetry and Translation Academy of Turkey (IPTAT) and the member of Turkish and İtaly P.E.N working in WiPC (Writers in Prison Committee). He worked as editor in Yasakmeyve-literary review of Turkey and currently works as editor for Levure Litteraire and as columnist for Artfulliving.com.tr. He is  one of the founder of OPEN POETRY movement which mainly is dedicated to performance poetry in an interdisciplinary way. His poems, articles and also short stories have been published at prominent literature magazines of Turkey such as “Hürriyet Gösteri”, “Varlık”, “Kitap-lık”,“Yasakmeyve”, “Özgür Edebiyat”,“Ç.N” etc. since 1996.

His poetry books include “Giden ve Kalan”-1999-Liman ( The Arrivals and Departures -Liman Publishing House), “Bilinmezi Dolaşan Ses”-2007-Yitik Ülke ( A voice that strolls into obscurity-Yitik Ülke Publishing house.) “Aramızda Eski Bir Masal”(Among us an old fairy tale-2015-Yasakmeyve-Komşu publishing house.) and “Şehirlerle Yanar Dünya” ( World rekindles cities-2017-October-Yasakmeyve-Komşu publishing house).

His last poetry translation book from Sebastiano Grasso  was published with the preface of Yevgeny Yevtushenko and drawings of Adonis and won  İtaly’s most prestigious translation award from The Ministry of Culture. He is a leading literary interviewer whose interviews were acclaimed and published at international magazines such as W.L.T , P.E.N-İtaly and Poesis International from Orhan Pamuk, Joyce Carol Oates, Adonis, Aslı Erdoğan, Milo de Angelis etc.. He translated six poetry and one drama book including Knut Odegard’s selected poems from English ; Milo De Angelis from İtalian and Gianina Cărbunariu from Romanian. Besides he has translated more than 80 contemporary poets from Romanian and İtalian into Turkish  including the classics such as Guiseppe Ungaretti, Mihai Eminescu, Lucian Blaga, Nichita Stanescu etc..He was on the advisory board of “Roboski” Human-right’s museum. He took part in various poetry anthologies, collective books in Turkey and  abroad, as well as participated literary events and festivals in different countries and his poems  were translated and published in U.S.A, İtaly, France, Norway, Lebanon, Romania, United Kingdom, Brasil, Avustralia, Azerbajian and Iraq. He was awarded for “Messina Citta di Arta” international poetry prize as well as “Salvotore Quasimodo Jaci Poetry Award” in Italy.

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