It’s This Way   

Written by Turkish poet Nâzim Hikmet (1902-1963)–imprisoned for radical acts in Turkey; translated by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk

I stand in the advancing light,

my hands hungry, the world beautiful.

My eyes can't get enough of the trees—

they're so hopeful, so green.

A sunny road runs through the mulberries,

I'm at the window of the prison infirmary.

I can't smell the medicines—

carnations must be blooming nearby.

It’s this way:

being captured is beside the point,
the point is not to surrender.

“In the Advancing Light is in homage to a poem by Nazim Hikmet called ‘It's This Way,’ which captures in verse the duality of our journey through life, which is very often a struggle, even in the midst of such immense beauty. The critical conclusion: ‘being captured is besides the point; the point is not to surrender’ really spoke to and centered me in my sanity. To be alive, to be here, requires engagement and that we remain strong in our senses, even as we move ever closer to dying. . .”