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Poem-a-day

The Little Boy

translated from the Western Armenian by the author

A neighbor’s son loudly asked,
“Is there a place on earth where it’s summer now?”
 
The question was a fair one; on this autumn morning,
it was windy and cold on the street.
 
But how does one answer that question
without giving a geography lesson?
 
Did the boy know that there are northern and southern hemispheres?
did he study the names of the continents,
did he know the locations of the poles,
the names of countries and capitals?
 
Sometimes a simple question
      needs a simple answer,
            other times, a lecture.
 

 


 

Փոքրիկ տղան

 

Հարեւանի մը փոքրիկ տղան բարձրաձայն հարցուց
«Աշխարհի մէջ տեղ մը կայ ուր հիմա ամառ է՞»։
 
Հարցումը տեղին էր. այս աշնան առաւօտ,
փողոցին վրայ, հովոտ ու ցուրտ էր ։
 
Բայս ինչպէ՞ս պատասխանել այդ հարցումին
առանց աշխարհագրութեան դաս մը տալու։
 
Տղան գիտէ՞ր որ կան հիւսիսային և հարաւային կիսագունտեր.
սորված է՞ր ցամաքամասերուն անունները,
 
գիտէ՞ր բեւեռներուն տեղերը,
երկիրներուն ու իրենց մայրաքաղաքներուն անուննե՞րը ։
 
Երբեմն պարզ հարցում մը
      պարզ պատասխանի մը պէտք ունի,
             երբեմն ալ դասընթացքի մը։

Copyright © 2026 by Lola Koundakjian. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on April 4, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.

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Lola Koundakjian

Lola Koundakjian
Photo Credit: Ararat El-Rawi
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About Poem-a-Day

Poem-a-Day is the original and only daily digital poetry series featuring over 250 new, previously unpublished poems by today’s talented poets each year. Dorianne Laux is the Guest Editor for April. Read or listen to a Q&A with Laux about his curatorial process, and learn more about the 2026 Guest Editors. Support Poem-a-Day.  

If you have any questions about Poem-a-Day, visit our Poem-a-Day FAQ.

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Poem in Which My Mother Snapped Denise Duhamel 01/28/2025

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