Shweta Basu Prasad Instagram – Love letter to Istanbul ❤️ Dear Orhan, I discovered Istanbul in your books, When I visited your city I saw, The city with the heartbeat of derbuk And the smell of roasted chestnuts wafting like the Mediterranean jazz I saw, The caged peacocks of Domabahçe And the free sea gulls of Bosphorus, Women in hijabs And women in tank tops I saw the domes of Hagia Sophia That tell tales of centuries I saw, Food menu sharing kebabs and Greek salad peacefully Cafes overlooking the Bosphorus And hungry family digging through dumpsters for food leftovers, I saw the Iznik tiles, Ebru art and the carpets And graffiti that speak louder than words The picturesque islands And the free sanitary napkins in the ladies bathrooms I saw, The Taksim square of your youth With the cinema, cafe, bookshops and shopping arcade The same Taksim square sealed for Pride walk, I saw, The Bosphorus, old and wise Alive like life, deep and beautiful With sunken ships and stories with them With Black sea and Mediterranean undercurrents, It hasn’t lost its fresh water sweetness that lingered on my tongue, Its icy water glistening in the golden sun The golden sun that tanned me so deep Even the 18th century Bath house couldn’t scrub it off.. -Shweta Basu Prasad 28.6.2022 #istanbul #solotrip