I, A, N

Our family name crossed an ocean,
        landed as HEDITSIAN,
meaning native of Hedi,

a village of Kharpert.
        Driven from their homeland,
they clung to their name—

everything else left behind. 
        My grandfather changed ours
to start a jewelry company—

so, as an immigrant,
        he could get a loan.
I grew strong on lamb kebab, 

eggplant, cracked wheat,
        picked grape leaves in spring.
Yet part of me is missing.

In the Armenian Highlands, now
        in Turkey, Hedi is a vacant hillside,
three letters nestled in the grass.

M.L. HEDISON

M. L. Hedison is an emerging poet and former advertising creative director and writer. Since her first publication, in 2025, her work has appeared in SWWIM and ONE ART; other contributions are forthcoming in the Cimarron Review and Calyx. She lives in the coastal town of Wakefield, Rhode Island. More information can be found at mlhedisonpoetry.com.