These Lands are Prophecies
by Jane Partizpanyan
Identifies with the nation of Armenia
My heart sprouted from the Caucasus
My heart sprouted from the Middle East
My heart sprouted out of the Aegean
Of the Mediterranean Sea
When you stem
From these lands
You look for God in the ashes
When you stem
From these sands
You can withstand 5,000 lashes
Pray over your tzbekh
Your eastern rosaries
Look for God in the ruins
That’s where he found me
I hang on to your every word
As if it is a prophecy
But you’re incoherent
In faithlessness
And evil eye beads
Climb the mountains of my mind
Meditate on the view
So many dogmas one can find
So many revelations too
You’re skeptical of God
But, can’t you feel him?
In the rain storm
In the sand
In your mountainous
Motherland
In Bitlis and Ordu
Shushi and Dilijan
Xanthi of Greece
In the meeting of the seas
I feel Him
When the khunk wafts from the priests
Of the greater Middle East
When the olives fall from the trees
By the roaring Aegean Sea
Jane Partizpanyan is a recent graduate of California State University, Northridge, earning a B.A. in Journalism and Public Relations. Her parents came to the United States as refugees from Armenia while the Soviet Union was teetering into social and financial collapse. Partizpanyan developed a deep passion for the Armenian cause during her time at university, taking part in non-profit advocacy work for AGBU Hye Geen and the Armenian Assembly of America. She is also a published writer who has been featured in many different magazines, news outlets, literary journals and blogs. She is most known for her arts and culture stories for The Armenian Weekly, where she uncovers forgotten Armenian stories.