Helene Paraskeva

May 14, 2021 | Poetry

Translated from the Greek by the author
City

City of the lost winds
Like missing beads
Like missing pearls
Nothing you get instead
When you ignore
When you forget
Those who still love you.

Your name is never mentioned
Land scattered
Land horrified
City of the lost winds
Shadow vanishing in dreams.

__

Stranded

What counts
For us is the epic
Of that blue saga
Recounting the unfinished Cloth
Billowing exposed
To the nameless to and fro.
To us, the Stranded,
What matters is the Ship
Run aground in the harbor.

What really counts is
The lingering tear
Memories neglected
Promises recovered
And kisses still there
Αt the harbor
At the Station and around.

What matters is the Ship
Run aground in the harbor

__

Translated from the Italian by the author
In The Rain

A rain of clapping
Little hearts vibrating
“Like it a lot”
Bunches of ill-smelling buds
Tepid hugs
Wishes tasting nothing
From friends and non
Yellow rain
Slipping in the loo rain
Like dancing
In the rain of mud and frog.

__

Friday

Friday of bells
Fasting and mourning
And the shirt
Modelled on your slim body
Blatantly undone
From the linen shirt
Light aroma
“Eros and Thanatos” signed
And the deadly smell
Fatal smell of violets
Neglected, discharged.

The eye-catching chain, too
Evocative, dazzling gold.
Yes, you are handsome like this
Relic of the wounded Fisher King
Hero of the “Golden Bough”
Flowered frond.
On this Friday of bells and mourning
On this Friday of banished smiles
Adonis decorated.
Adored.

__

Helene Paraskeva 

Helene Paraskeva 

Helene Paraskeva was born in Athens, Greece and studied in Greece, in the United Kingdom and Italy. She currently lives in Rome where she has taught English in a state High School. She has published an Anthology of English and American Literary texts in English, a collection of short stories, a novel and a historical play. She has also published three collections of poetry in Italian and two collections of poetry in Greek.
She is member of the Company of Poets, an association of International poets-performers that perform their own poems all over the world.

Browse More

Empowering African Voices Online: The Impact of WikiAfrica Education

Written by Dina Rosa Agyemang Did you know that Wikipedia, the world's most popular online encyclopedia, has more information about the city of Paris than about all 55 African countries combined? Africa is a continent rich in resources and technological know-how, yet...

Three Poems by Andrea De Alberti

Translated from the Italian by Jessica Harkins

High Tide by Sanjeev

Translated from the Hindi by Varsha Tiwary

Two Poems by Manishankar

Translated from the Bangla by Soma Roy and Kamalika Mitra

Three Poems by Andrea De Alberti

Translated from the Italian by Jessica Harkins

Al-Baqa Café, Gaza by Francis Kurkievicz

Translated from the Spanish by Francis Kurkievicz

Two Poems by Nirmala Putul

Translated from the Hindi by Pooja Sancheti

Two Poems by Marisela Capriles Vergara

Translated from the Spanish by James Richie

Bitemarks by Shyamkrishnan R

Translated from the Malayalam by Ananthu Sunil

A Daughter’s Echo — Kiran Prasad Rajanahally

TRANSLATED FROM KANNADA BY SAHANA PRASAD     “There is a saying in the tale of Sankhyaayana, my dear daughter, that… when the impermanent body perishes, the soul remains unaffected! This has been beautifully conveyed in the rhythm of association. Rhythm here...