Ay Anneanne
After The Moon Woman (1942) by Jackson Pollock
Ay Dede
is what the moon was called
in the bedtime stories
I was told as a child
who at the time had no idea
that the moon could never be anyone’s
grandpa, no matter what Turkish mythology
taught our ancestors and our parents and us.
That the moon could only ever be
a woman.
A tide-shifting, ground-breaking, mind-illuminating, heart-healing,
story-telling, poetry-making, narrative-changing, life-giving woman.
Come, little one – let’s say goodnight
to Grandma Moon.
Dila Toplusoy Günay is an Istanbul-born poet whose work has appeared in CERASUS, Skylight 47, t’ART, Strings, La Piccioletta Barca, Needle Poetry and elsewhere. Most recently, she was shortlisted for The WoLF Poetry Competition judged by Romalyn Ante. Instagram: @dilaquis