Poems from “Return to Armenia”

By Alan Whitehorn

Identity

Is it genetics that imprints my biological being?
Is it geography that demarcates my homeland?
Is it religion that codifies my core identity?
Is it culture that moulds my personality?
Is it language that forms my way of thinking?
Is it my chosen friends and colleagues who,
in belonging to my community,
define who I am?
Or is it which compass direction we chose to travel:
East, West, North or South,
or even between these points?

Or is it all of these,
and more,
far more?

By Alan Whitehorn

Identity

Is it genetics that imprints my biological being?
Is it geography that demarcates my homeland?
Is it religion that codifies my core identity?
Is it culture that moulds my personality?
Is it language that forms my way of thinking?
Is it my chosen friends and colleagues who,
in belonging to my community,
define who I am?
Or is it which compass direction we chose to travel:
East, West, North or South,
or even between these points?

Or is it all of these,
and more,
far more?

 
Armenia And the Double Helix

Two intertwined strands,
not quite identical,
yet from the same original genetic source.
Positioned differently in crucial ways.

Like a complex double helix,
Armenia and the Diaspora
intertwined,
but also distinct.

Each needing the other
to sustain a dynamic and vibrant community.
Hayastan and Armenia,
twin strands,
defining each other.

A complex nation
that has struggled to survive
and is a wonder
to behold.