Three Wars And A Genocide Poem by Shushan Artinian

Her image flashes before my eyes,
As I watch out the window, seated in our car.
Her face so innocent, covered with a beautiful smile.
No one could guess that she was a survivor of three wars and a genocide.
I try to remember the good old days,
When we used to talk or play backgammon.
Suddenly I am attacked by horrific flashbacks,
The sight of her lying in bed defenseless against death
Breathing deeply and staring out blank as if trying to ward off death.
The nasogastric tube stuck through her nostrils down her throat
Was the only means that nourished her existence.
A survivor of three wars and a genocide.
Her bright blue eyes were now lifeless and cold,
As became her body, when her heart ceased to throb.
Her soul had left her body and her breathing had stopped.
My mother realizing this had begun to weep.
Tears wept, for a great survivor had finally let go of life.
A life that was witness to three wars and the Armenian Genocide.


•Three wars: World Wars I and II, and the Lebanese Civil War.