Dear Letter of Mine
This morning greeted me with a violent thunderstorm. The rain poured as hard as a
shower of pebbles. When the storm came to a sudden halt, I left the sanctuary of my house and
was greeted by azure clouds and a glistening sea. As I sat on a feeble wooden bench, admiring
the stillness of the water, I listened to Oliver Dragojevic, a Dalmatian poet, pour his heart into a
song translated as “My Letter”. The beach setting and the mellifluous voice inspired me to reflect
what it means to be Bosnian American in my own letter:
Dear Letter of mine, in this handful of words I have entrusted the beauty of my worlds.
Fly my ballad from the shores of the Adriatic to the Atlantic; carry my message from the hustle
of the streets of Sarajevo to the bustle of the streets of D.C.
Dear Letter of mine, begin with each mile my mother trekked escaping the shelling of
Sarajevo, and my father’s strength required to survive as a captive of a city under siege. Shine a
light on my parents’ determination to rise from the ashes of their home, burnt by a fire fueled by
hatred.
Dear Letter of mine, illustrate the loving home my parents crafted for me in this land of
the free. Expose the obstacles they endured pursuing the American Dream, and recognize the
support my grandparents provided to help them realize their dream.
Dear Letter of mine, Recount my early childhood in Tampa, Florida. Tell the story of the
hours I spent at my grandparents’ house while my parents worked tirelessly to secure a steady
income. Underscore the friendships I formed riding my scooter with neighborhood kids, and the
countless bottles of Sunny-D orange juice that I secretly drank with Katarina. Emphasize the
strength of the relationships I formed during my early childhood.
Dear Letter of mine, follow this emphasis with the agony I felt leaving my loved ones
when my parents and I moved to McLean, Virginia. Display the emotional burden I carried in
my day to day life without my grandparents, but accentuate my ability to grow independent
staying home alone every day after school. Convey the aromas of biscuits and soups I dared to
create from scratch with my loyal bulldog Lucky Luciano at my feet. Reveal the self-inflicted
pain from the roar of the vacuum that my dog and I endured to bring a smile to my mother’s face
when she came home from work every day.
Dear Letter of Mine, uncover the day I fell in love with soccer watching my first El
Clasico with my dad. Showcase the passion manifesting itself as we religiously watched every
game of the Premier League every Saturday morning and played on a local team.
Dear Letter of mine, recapitulate every summer break adventure I had journeying to
Sarajevo alone reuniting with my family in Bosnia. Illustrate the warmth I felt embracing my
grandpa at the gate and the sparkle of my grandma’s tears of happiness flowing down her face.
Depict all the nights I spent with Zana, Vicko, Amila, Milena, and Veselko on this exact beach
where we bonded despite the animosity between our different ethnic groups as Catholic
Croatians, as Muslim Bosnians, as Orthodox Serbians. Emphasize our ability to actively
maintain these long distance friendships as members of a diaspora spread around the world with
a knife.
Dear letter of mine, illuminate my path into the future like the lighthouse which guides
the fisherman through the darkness. Be my net to catch me in the deepest of waters and my
shimmering star to accompany me in the loneliest of nights. Endure as my oar by which I
journey through the sea into dawn.
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