Saturday, April 07, 2007

Turkish Medley

Some spicy hummus pita bakes, a new set of headphones, and I'm ready to roll...

Ten Days in a Camper Van

In the land of Lycia, which the Turks call Lick-ya, 'twas a trip once given by a man named John.
He was a wise sage who never showed his rage, but he made us get up at the butt-crack of dawn.
At his side was his sister, for months we really missed her, and she kicked our ass at scrabble with a wink in her eye.
Of the others there were some, who made me go ho-hum, but the rest were pretty chill, and I swear that's no lie.
Of Set, Helene, and Katie, and Sara (no one shady), I've told enough already to last an afternoon.
Now on to veteran Dave, a chai he'll ever crave, and he's always the first to discover something new.
Next James and Almandina (she hails from Canadina), the one could climb for hours, the other was a witch
Who summoned from the earth, dire flames since skilled from birth, too bad she never used this to make James super rich.
About Lee Ann I'm uneasy to make a joke that's cheesy, so I'll only point out quickly her exemplary calm.
Then Carol all smiles, even looking at piles, of rocks...oh wait, that's what we did all along.
En fin a Tuna came, with well-established fame, our Turkish to improve and some minds to open up.
Though some were tightly locked, like web-sites that are blocked, for the rest, of Turkey we just couldn't get enough.
For ten days 'cross the map, we wound a thorough lap, and ate alot of pide, the lunch sent from the gods
With Yildrim as our guide, a sometimes nauseous ride, Tutku's in my jowels listenin' to the iPod.
We learned an awful lot, avoided getting shot, and only tried to lose a camera two or three times.
In the end I tried to stay by getting stuck in clay, but I'm back, minus boots, to end these silly rhymes.















How to Lose Your Keys in Ten Seconds
Put them in your unzipped jacket pocket and then bound around in tall grass.

The Other Half

From the Ayia Sophia to the Japanese mall
The Blue Mosque impressive, and old Taksim Square
O Istanbul! City so clean and so fair
Next to which all of Athina doth pall.

Of archaeological treasures not few
Reside in thy bosom, for lookers to gaze
The sky crisp and clear, with no touch of haze
That welcomes all men: Muslim, Christian, and Jew.

In need of a carpet? Come into my store!
I'll give you a chai, and some lunch if you're lucky
If good deals you want, you'll have to be plucky.
To make a good profit's what tourists are for!

You look rather tense. The hamam is waiting.
An hour of sauna can do you no harm.
The man scraping skin may lack certain charm,
But soap massage and apple tea is quite baiting.

This blog's getting long, and I must away.
But if you should pine after something unique,
The City is here, said with no tongue in cheek.
Plus, to say "broom" in Turkish is just "supergay."