division

april 20, 1995
beyza lale ozer
meaning: pure & white
my mom looks down at me
“gökten melek”
meaning: angel from
heaven

my mother never had a second thought
about gay people until she found out that
i am gay. my mother doesn’t look at me
anymore.

my mother told me that i could never tell
my grandmother because “she wouldn’t
understand. it would break her heart like
it did mine.”

when my mother went to turkey without
me, walking down the streets of istanbul
the ones that used to connect her insides.
she collided with a parade buzzing with
people flaunting rainbow flags.

honor killings
meaning: the homicide of a member of a
family or social group by other members,
due to the committers’ belief that the
victim has brought shame or dishonor
upon the family or community. there is at
least one honor killing in istanbul alone
each week.
meaning: my culture hates
who i am.

————————

beyza ozer