The Children of Armenia by Sofia Viana Ogulluk
The Children of Armenia
I look at my Dede’s large, strong hands
And see the millions of women and men
Who have died for our people
Compared to the millions of people who have lied
Who say they’ve helped in many ways
But in reality
Reposted on Instagram and called it a day
I look at my Yaya’s soft and wrinkled hands
Meticulously making manti
And I see in them
Children in a home surrounded by fire
They reach out to us
Try to hold our hands
But we simply watch
Leave them stranded
They scream to us
“Say our name!”
And I say it back
A soloist in the choir
I turn around and a few more stand
But their silence is deafening
The voices of the children pleading
Ring in my head
And suddenly
They stand beside me
And we become one
And the chorus begins to run
We show and we share
But they don’t understand
We stomp and we scream
But they only stare
We wave our flag
And they say they care
But if they really did
Then they would be there
So I’ll paint myself purple
And stand in a pot
If that’s what it takes
To forget-me-not
Sofia Ogulluk is a 14-year-old freshman at Manhasset High School on Long Island, New York. She is a passionate writer, who loves to write in all kinds of genres and styles. Some of her favorite styles of writing are poems, novels, and songs. In addition to writing, she loves to participate in Armenian Dance, Broadcast Journalism, Girl Scouts, and Theatre. In her free time, she likes to learn languages, hike, travel, and spend time with friends. A fun fact about her is that she also has attended AGBU Camp Nubar for the past four summers.
This poem was originally published on YAPA partner h-pem’s website.
Armine Iknadossian on Sofia Viana Ogulluk’s “The Children of Armenia” (Winner):
“”The Children of Armenia” is a poem about resistance. It outlines the lack of support from the international community when Armenian issues are at the forefront. The poem calls on ancestors. The poem calls on its community. The poem reaches for a helping hand. The final image is a symbolic representation of the memorial flower often depicted in imagery related to the genocide. It’s a fitting end to a powerful piece about remembrance and cries for help that go unheard.”
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Arminé Iknadossian’s family fled to California when she was four years old to escape the civil war. After graduating from UCLA, Iknadossian earned an MFA in Creative Writing at Antioch University while teaching full time. Armine is the author of All That Wasted Fruit (Main Street Rag. Iknadossian’s poetry is featured in Five South, Ruminate Magazine, HyeBred, Armenian Poetry Project, Whale Road Review, South Florida Poetry Journal, Cultural Weekly, The San Diego Reader, The Nervous Breakdown and The American Journal of Poetry. Iknadossian recently received two grants from the Arts Council of Long Beach to write her second volume of poetry. She has also received fellowships from Idyllwild Arts, The Los Angeles Writing Project, and Otis College of Art and Design. Armine is also one of the poets of Project 1521, which brings together artists, writers, and scholars to generate visual and literary works as acts of resistance. Her other passion project is collaborating with the International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA), where she serves on the advisory board.