Güntürk Üstün | Mediterranean Poetry

Raised in Izmir by the Aegean Coast, Mr Güntürk Üstün, a retired medical doctor, a poet, a long-time transportation fan has lived in Istanbul for the past 24 years and he currently works on his new books of poetry [He has written and published 7 books (all in Turkish) until now]. His poems have been published in various literary journals and anthologies in Turkey as well as in a English language poetry website called Mediterranean Poetry [www.odyssey.pm] based in Sweden. As an avid reader and researcher on the transportation issues, he also comments regularly (as a weekly columnist) by using some of his poetic skills in a popular Turkish logistics/transport news website [Lojiport]. Mr Üstün is fluent both in English and French. He divides his time between Istanbul and Izmir.

BIBLIOGRAPHY (Published Books)

Kıyı Şeridi Ve Kıyı Sakini Şiirleri (June 2014)

Demiryolu Palas Oteli’nden Şiirler (April 2015)

Limanı Gören Bir Çatı Katından Şiirler (November 2016)

Raylı Sistemin Uzun Öyküsünün Kısa Şiirleri (November 2016)

Denizyoluna Turkuaz Gölgeli Dizeler (May 2017)

Raysever Şair Merhabasının Dizeleri (May 2017)

Havayoluna Selam Uçuran Dizeler (September 2018)

AN INVITATION, NOT A SUGGESTION

Good morning or good afternoon
To you all who are valuable poets
Or valuable fans of distinguished poetry!
The vigorous winds of writer’s block are finally down
And the sea of creativeness has regained its stability

It is not so difficult to figure out that
I am an average transportation bard
Trying to beget particularly
Literary pieces about maritime world
In the abundant English language
Which is not my mother tongue
But it will not discourage me anyway
From convoking all of you to
A fine word surfing on the unrivaled
“Mediterranean Poetry” website
A pleasant verse discovery
And an active reading recreation
With an harmless gale-like
Cultural cruise experience under
The freely waving fraternity flag
Of North, South, East and West

Good evening or good night
To you all who are valuable poets
Or valuable fans of outstanding poetry!
The violent winds of writer’s block are finally down
And the sea of creativity has regained its steadiness

MARITIME TRIPLETS (Part-6)

The maritime poetry’s specific geography
And highly idiosyncratic style makes its climate
Sunny and breezy most of the time

Since being natural is the new beauty trend
The ancient Aegean Sea needs nothing
That can make it younger than it is

Undoubtedly, many Mediterranean ports
Live up to their reputation as no-limits
And no-worries passenger terminals now

Buoyed by a fresh and well-funded ferry system
To explore the allure of the Big Apple’s waterfront
Is more inviting, exciting and pleasant than ever

Stockholm’s design, Copenhagen’s style and Helsinki’s food
Are all immersed within a relatively small but splendid maritime town
And “Gothenburg” is its peacefulness’ charismatic name

The palm trees are rocking their heighty heads in the brisk breeze
The fresh cherry-meringue pie is getting cold as well as the brewed tea
And the woman who has prepared them all is still committed to leaving me

A distinctive air of glory and prosperity
Welcomes and infiltrates my weary mind
Every single time I set foot on a mega cruise liner

It is slightly a pity for the Mediterranean that
The efficient ports of Rotterdam, Hamburg and Gothenburg
Are not part of its notably productive coasts

Many maritime and non-maritime reasons
Regularly rank the ravishing and vertiginous Venice
As one of the world’s most-visited port cities

Some box ships can lose some of their containers
During their journey in rough weather in the high seas
Such a catastrophic loss for the shipping companies and sea waters

The charismatic ocean has its own character
Which firmly denies to be defined
As a huge saltwater swimming pool

A gang of insatiable orcas travel together
In the inky depths of northern Norway
As they track down the large colonies of herring

You don’t have to travel far from Kuşadası
To find natural and stunning white-sand beaches
And that might envy some visiting cruise ships pools

When you reach the south coast of Crete
The sea there may bewilder you all
With its undulating, lazy waters

The two recently built cruise ships
Belonging to the fleet of the same company
Were sent off in style with a fireworks display from the port

If you really want from the heart
It sure can be easy to get lost at sea
Well, what if you wish to be readily found?

Eventually, I decided to escape the land
And capture the matchlessness of the moment
Here I am on a gorgeous ferry to Genoa

Psychological sea dramas challenge my mental health
Romantic sea dramas change my healthy heartbeat
Sea-adventure dramas chase my hefty maritime writings

As the sea voyage and your expectations advance
The lines between reality and fiction can start to blur
Against the backdrop of the cruise liner’s dizzy ambience

Whether I’m visiting for the first or fifth time
The French Riviera’s typical charm
Is assured to blow my mind

This summer, for some reason, the heat was grueling in Bozcaada
In addition, all the beaches and streets were extremely crowded
That’s why we had to go back to İzmir earlier than usual

Four cruise ships are docked at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
A flock of seagulls keep soaring over the piers of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
My estranged girlfriend is still living close to the coast of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The words “café” and “tea” and “culture”
Could have been particularly created for
Seaside cities or floating city-like cruise liners

When you’re in flamboyant and witty Bodrum
You can also spend a few days in blinking Greece
As the island of Kos is just a jolly 45-minute ferry ride away

Now that cruise brings positive regional impact
In Mediterranean ports, then all of them should
Try to hold separate annual “Cruise Festivals”

Provided that our hotel’s own pastry chef creates fresh scones and petit fours
Along with clotted cream, various jams, mini sandwiches for the afternoon tea service
It doesn’t really matter much if we are in dazzling Cannes or glaring Nice

Both busy seaports and marinas can
Carry out to turn littoral cities and towns
Into the ever-changing open-air maritime museums

Take a closer look at the swanky Med!
It is more than a pretty face in the sea world
It is a shared hello to our synergistic future and past

Surprisingly, some tiny seaside towns seemingly has it all
A romantic atmosphere, sun-kissed streets, miles of sandy beaches
World-class hotels and restaurants plus a colorful nightlife

I’ve captured the Mediterranean’s magnetism
Many festive summers ago by virtue of
The constantly growing cruise industry

Acting as a vital waterway for Paris
The River Seine is essentially the thinking brain
And the beating heart of the City of Lights

Friendly France, idyllic Italy, turquoise Turkey
Marvelously and permanently, each of them has
Their own rare and valuable Riviera

Small Aegean coastal villages feel like they’re lost in time
With tenacious fishermen setting out to sea early in the morning
And returning home along the cobblestone streets late at night

My field of view is partially plagued by low-slung, ash-colored clouds
I hope that I’m amid of a nightmare based on a nautical adventure
And not at the edge of a pier concealing a mild to moderate depression

Traveling at sea can be a great healer
For some troubled and sorrowful spirits
Let them experiment it under the Med moon

My darling love, let’s slip away again
By bike or boat and have another cove
Hidden by tall pine trees and brush to ourselves

The philosophic wave of Mediterranean literature advised me this long ago:
“Hey you, the aging, immature and rookie Aegean poet-writer over there
If you don’t comprehend the Stoics, why don’t you try the Agnostics?”

Can marine poetry even get any better?
With these genuine Maritime Triplets, it sure can
Best wishes from the stormy Marmara Coast

For other contributions by Güntürk Üstün, please follow the links below: