Η Προσφορά
Και προσφέρω
Κάτι σ’ αυτή τη γη
Το φωτισμένο, το υπέροχο
Τη σ ιωπή που υπάρχει στο εδώ και τώρα.
Και προσφέρω
Ως Σολωμός, ο Βύρωνας
Ως ο Θεοδωράκης και ο Σαββόπουλος Κοιτάξτε προσεκτικά και θα το νιώσετε Μέσα σου, γύρω σου.
Κάτι ανακατεύεται στο πνεύμα μας
Ένα ακατάστατο χάος; Δεν πειράζει. Από εκεί ξεκινάει κάθε ιστορία
στο παράξενο και ιδιόμορφο
Μας δένει σφιχτά
Γι’ αυτό προσφέρω.
The Offering
And I give
Something to this land
The lit, the wonderful
The silence that exists in the here and now.
And I give
Like Solomos, Byron
Like Theodorakis and Savvopoulos Look closely and you will feel it Inside of you, all around you.
Something stirs in our spirits Jumbled mess? That’s alright It’s where each story begins
in the strange and peculiar
It binds us tightly,
It’s why I give.
My Greece
You say it doesn’t belong to me.
Diaspora, you know nothing
Migrants unlucky by birth
Yearning for these seas.
You say it doesn’t belong to me.
History so old, it’s secrets sealed
Yet on display for all to see
Possessions of the world, you clutch tightly.
You say it doesn’t belong to me.
The celebrations and traditions
Learning and acknowledging them
You shrug it off, indifferently.
Ah, but it’s clear…
You can’t…
Deny and accept simultaneously,
Need and reject all at once,
Lie and reveal revelations,
All is exposed eventually.
So, you fight us back with your words,
Tell us who it belongs to,
Remind us of our place in this world, Fight on, fight hard, vigorously
And we laugh…
Singing To Angels
Be sure to sing in Greek to angels
so, when that endless day comes,
the unwanted shift upward,
they can hear you coming.
Let music ring out from your voice
melodies of old turn new once more
classics ring true in every era.
Sing clear, sing loud
they’ll hear you from afar
and recognise you as one of their own,
they’ll speak on your behalf
and make your presence known.
Embrace the songs, it’s all you have.
Sing for as long as you like,
You are home.
** A response to Nikoforos Vrettakos’ poem ‘The Greek Language’.
Joining the Greats at Hydra
If I could, I would
pull up a chair at a small taverna in Hydra
where the greats have gathered
night after night
discussing, drinking, sharing,
and dancing with locals
on a cold winter night.
I want to sit back and silently observe that moment, watch the giants play
Reminiscing and experiencing,
cigarette in one hand, a drink in the other
standing arms out ready to break into a zembekiko free fall, as Stelios brings the plates.
Now it’s a sombre night, quiet and subdued
the giants are playing cards,
deep in chuckles, pondering random thoughts,
ensuring the game goes on for hours.
There’s Leonard trying his hand at the guitar,
Patty’s looking for more retsina,
Georgios is telling a joke,
while Marianne needs a moment, the baby is stirring.
Now it’s a birthday, oh what fun!
The singing has just begun.
Speaking English, speaking Greek
Learning traditions too,
inventing new ideas while making old, new.
A hideaway of authenticity
where people call you by name.
Giants hanging out at Stelios’ tavern
and stumbling home at the break of day.
Vasiliki Tatouli is a first-year doctorate student in Modern English Literature at Mary Immaculate College. She resides in Geneva, Switzerland where she is a teacher at Ecole Moser, a private Swiss school. Last year, Vasiliki received first-class honours for her master’s thesis entitled ‘Unabating Hybridity: The Making and Reformation of The Modern Greek Nation-State Through Literature’. Born and raised in rural Canada to parents who migrated from Greece, Vasiliki grew up in a multicultural environment and was aware of cultural diversity from a young age. As an adult, Vasiliki lived in Greece for 13 years before relocating to Switzerland. Her life experiences grant her a unique perspective that assists in examining cultures and national identities. Her doctoral research analyses Anglophone writers’ contributions to the modern Greek nation and the Greek identity.
