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| Xanthi Hondrou-Hill |
Mediterranean waves…
the other the waves of the sea and, the third whispers the wisdom of the wind
No matter to which shores the poem takes us,
with which clouds we want to travel,
with the wave of a blue scarf,
the white sail of a boat, or the wing of a plane
there is always the wisdom of the wind to carry us
To reach the shores of dreams,
with flowers, pebbles and sea shells as treasures.
The nights were we talked at blue tables
with friends or on the phone miles away,
listening to the tide at full moon,
the fun we shared travelling in a rental car without lights
on an island looking to avoid a monastery and
ending up spending the day there in the arms of a Saint,
bringing with us healing oils and sacred water
The paintings we discovered in the small museum, in our faces
and on the street corners looking down to the sea,
feeding a foreign hungry artist
at the little coffee shop by the seaside
We didn't exchange letters and alphabets like our ancestors,
didn't care if the numbers were Arabic or Greek,
didn't even try to find common ground...
Because three blue poets, a painter and a musician filled our life
with the waves of the Mediterranean…
No More Counting Stars
The lights are bright in Gaza
They are falling from the sky
No one is asking WHY
The world is home and watching
Nobody is standing by
The lights are low in Gaza
The children went to sleep
The fathers counting bodies
The mothers will only weep
The light’s gone out in Gaza
Just poets sit and cry
For no child will ever
Look up to the night’s sky
We want the children playing
out in the streets at night
No more fighting wars
We want them counting starts
The lights gone out in Gaza
The children joined the stars
And writing on the night sky
A chant of ancient chants
NO MORE WARS
NO MORE WARS
NO MORE WARS
When did we decide
to self destruct?
The sense of lolyness in the universe…
The only voice looking brothers elsewhere
neglecting it’s own future…
watering hope with rainbows
of your salvation
we the armee to kill
you fast…
to far the escape
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality
is producing my self-destruction
with no return
with me as passive and helpless observer
with boundless network satellite TV
beautiful presenters
providing openhearted
the end of the world
of the others...
singing in to
self-annihilation
with subscriptions
to euphemism
the end of the world
as companion of my solitude
Eternal Reminder
Xanthi Hondrou-Hill, Greece
With the Perfection the sky joins the sea
the signs of Mörike's blue ribbon in the air,
the light of Odysseus Elytis, the peace of Pablo Neruda...
Among blossoming peach and cherry trees wandering speechless
On the mountain tops
with a wild wish of youth in the mind
with a wild herb in the hand
looking down to the hills of natures passion
in breathless excitement
on the pebble beaches with open arms
embracing the width of the horizon
open boarders between countries and continents
overwhelmed by the blossoming breeze
with a poem on the lips, memories in the eyes, marks on the soul
spring is preserved in the hearts
through all seasons
throughout the years and decades
Throughout all our life spring remains
eternal reminder of unstoppable hope
Seeds of Peace
In the ceasefires
I plant at the four corners of the horizon
where the blood of my brothers blackens in the sun
seeds of peace.
In the ceasefires I light candles
to light the paths of the spirit
traced and lived by Gandhi.
In the ceasefires I open the door to strangers
to come and share bread, water, roses.
In the ceasefires I build with my hands
the dreams of children
of the whole world.
In the ceasefires I touch
the hearts of those around me
to erase the pain of the past,
to join together to become a circle
To become dance, joy, song.
In the ceasefires I plant
The seeds of my lyrics
To speak in the tongues of the world
to become an eternal hymn for peace
Xanthi Hondrou-Hill
Xanthi Hondrou-Hill is an award winning poetess, who studied German and English Literature, Linguistics, Journalism, and Public & International Relations in Stuttgart, Germany. She has published the poetry collection in English titled “LOST SPRING” on Amazon, the Anthology of the 1st International Poetry Festival of Naousa “Aristotle and the World”, and translated the work “La vita bella” by Giuseppe Napolitano into Greek, German and English. She participated in the anthology of Greek poets in Germany “Safe Travels, My Love” and worked at the Greek Consulate in Stuttgart as a Public Relations Advisor, organizing the “Greek Culture Days” with the highlight being the inter-party exchange between Greeks and their German counterparts. She translates poetry from and into Greek, German, and English. Her poems have been translated into 12 languages and published in digital and print anthologies abroad. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the International Chamber of Writers and Artists (CIESART), where she serves as vice president in Greece. She is a member of PEN Greece and the founder and director of the International Poetry Festival of Naoussa.
