TOTAL

	By Kevork K. Kalayjian, Jr.


	and the road led to nowhere
	since I was a wondering Gypsy
	and it happened during travel
	on the road from pain to pleasure
	I gave birth to two unruly spirits
	made of fire and water
	like a ditokous homeless mother.

	and I carried my offsprings with me,
	on the road from home to the desert,
	in my basket of dreams
	determined to shape both of them
	with the power and the discipline
	appropriate for the circus role
	applicable to the prevailing market trend,
	with the trick to win the most applause
	the feats that will collect more rewards,
	...
	an alphabet taught on the desert sand
	trampling over the rocks and thorns
	stepping onto the wilderness with bleeding feet
	satisfying the scorched earth with blood
	without admitting pain or sorrow, to overcome 

	the possibility of 
	the probability of
	the sentence of
	total annihilation

	and 
	like a ditokous Armenian mother
	I gave birth to two Spirits
	made of Heaven and Hell
	to strap revenge and forgiveness
	and it was during  The Deportation
	on the road to dispersion
	since I had to cross The Desert
	and the road led to ...  nowhere!

	[email protected]
	Ditokous, a, [Greek di, tiko bring forth two]


Kevork Kalayjian is a decendent of refugees from the town of Kilis,
in the Cilician region of Armenia. An accountant by profession, he
likes to paint and write. His next project is to collect the names of
100 volunteer Armenian-American families who would like to resettle in
Armenia and jump-start a new way of work and life there. Some of his
poems have been published in Armenian media such as "Ararat" and at
www.poetry.com.