25
Cancellation
In the end, the cloud passed
without leaving behind one drop of rain.
Needlessly the umbrellas had been bought.
Needlessly those who came without raincoats
worried.
The apology of a star that fell to Earth
Forgive me
your wish was not granted.
I apologise for not making
your dream a reality.
I fell for someone else last night.
It was not your turn.
Occupied
After a difficult and distant journey
he arrived there at last:
at her heart!
He tried to enter.
The sign stopped him.
“Occupied” it said.
Carelessness
We thought
that we had hidden the sadness
behind the drawn curtains.
We did not notice
the light lying in wait behind it
was inexorably casting its shadow.
The unexpected death of a love
The unexpected death of their love
at such a young age
shocked or moved no one;
people did not dress in black.
Flags did not fly at half-mast;
no three-day mourning was declared.
The funeral was not carried out “at cost of the
state”:
nor was it attended
by government representatives and a crowd of
people;
wreaths were not laid
by parties, guilds or organizations;
no eulogy was given
by a dignitary
not even by a friend or schoolmate.
Not even the lovers grieved as they should have
with dark glasses and the fitting abstinence
from the small pleasures of everyday life.
Attic
Dark as it is
and with dust covering things
how can one see
the wounds on their bodies
the sadness on their surfaces?
Yet, no one ever foresaw
that neither darkness nor dust
could conceal
their sighs.
And they heard them.
Now, they know.
To contact Roula Ioannidou Stavrou, e-mail:
“... They hold within their nuclei life messages, a philosophical stance and decryption of man’s
innermost needs.” (Antony Tziotis, Literary Critic)
“... The poet’s language is real, yet graceful and alive, without surrealistic incongruities. The
sentiment is genuine and refined, articulated with simplicity and purity.” (Marios Byron Raizis,
Emeritus of the University of Athens, English Literature Dep.)
“I can see how the poet’s feelings have spilt on the page, as is right for every good poet.
I love the ease with which a reader can grasp the meaning and the feeling and make
it their own just as T.S. Eliot said about poetry. A wonderful collection! I love it!”
(Simone Ballett, actress, UK)
Critical reviews
